Hostage Situation
by mcangel1976
Summary: It is Haruhi's third year in high school and a surprise visitor comes to Ouran. Nekozawa only wanted to visit the Black Magic Club and kept running into Haruhi. Now they have been kidnapped together have no idea what is going to happen to them. If they want to get through this ordeal, they have to have to depend on each other. And in their desperation, love might just find them too
1. The Beginning

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ouran High School Host Club or its characters, but I do love to use them to mine and my readers' utter enjoyment. You know like beating, kicking, maiming…uh, loving, caring, kissing, etc.**

 **A/N: Gasp! Can it be true? Two new stories in two days? Nope. You aren't seeing things. On the agenda this week is 2 new Ouran (maybe even 3), 1 new Prince of Tennis, 1 new Kamigami no Asobi, and 1 new Twilight. A big undertaking to be sure, but the ideas have been piling up the past few months while I finished the novel. So, now you will reap the benefits…or maybe suffer, but here they are. I also have the sequel for Love: A Harmony of Love and Darkness. Many readers wanted to know what happened with Tamaki and Kirimi, in addition to seeing more Nekozawa and Haruhi. So that one will come out probably next month. I want to finish one of my other stories first. I have already started my Kaoru/Haruhi story, so you can look for that under the title Sneaky Love. So without further ado, (Hchen dot RavenFeather, see, another Neko/Haru), here is the first chapter of my new Nekozawa/Haruhi story. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1 – The Beginning

She could very much remember the first time she saw him and her first impressions of him. To put it bluntly, she thought he was one of the oddest people she had ever seen…and she had seen many strange people between her father's bar and the Host Club.

He could remember…scratch that, no he couldn't. The first time he could remember actually meeting her was actually their second meeting, and he thought she was a he and only wanted to see if he could recruit him for the Black Magic Club. Her eyes were big and brown and glistening, but nothing special. She was supposed to be a he after all and therefore, why would he ever give the other man a second glance?

For almost two years she thought he was odd, he thought she was a boy, and then something happened. Suddenly, opinions changed and secrets were learned, and on that very day, the door to other feelings started to crack open, eventually opening all the way. Before I can tell you about that though, I have to tell you about what happened before. Towards the beginning of Haruhi's third year at Ouran and Nekozawa's second year in university, life changed.

After he graduated from Ouran, Umehito Nekozawa turned the Black Magic Club over to Reiko to lead, and then he left. The plan was he would start university in Russia, where he would also finally meet the bride his family had chosen for him. That is the way it was supposed to work, but that's not the way it happened. His fiancée ran off with another man the night before Nekozawa was supposed to meet her, and university in Russia was boring. He learned no new magic, did not broaden his horizons; thus after a year of mindlessly going through the motions, he returned to Japan and transferred to a university in Tokyo. At least this way, he could still see his little sister and spend time with his very small circle of friends.

Shortly after arriving back in Japan, he was bored and decided to see how his old club was fairing. According to the emails and calls he received from Reiko, the club still had low membership numbers, but her curses on the Haninozuka heir seemed to be working since they were at least dating now and had been for some time. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, he did; however, he was feeling restless and needed to get out of the house. He never expected the first person he would run into, more like smash or crash, would be one Haruhi Fujioka. She was still dressed as a he and Nekozawa did not know a girl was hidden under that blue blazer. If he had, he might have been more chivalrous, or treated her differently. Instead, he looked across from him where he/she sat on the ground and said, "Haruhi Fujioka? What are you doing running into people? If Beelzenef gets upset, you could wind up cursed."

"Nekozawa-senpai? What are you doing here? Sorry about that, Tamaki-senpai left me an urgent message and he's supposed to be out front. I needed to hurry so I could get back to class," she responded. Getting to her feet, she dusted off her butt and then helped pull her senpai off the ground. With a smile on her face, she told him, "It's good to see you again, senpai. Sorry about this, but I have to run."

If only they knew this meeting would be the start of change…and danger.

"Are you all right, sir?" A man asked from Nekozawa's side.

"Hmm? Oh, Tanaka. Yes, quite all right. Just someone I haven't seen for a while. You would think he would have filled out a little more, but he is still the same petite feminine looking boy he was two years ago."

"Sir, this wouldn't have happened if you would have waited for me."

"You're my bodyguard, but even you can't stop everything. Besides, Haruhi is so slight, he didn't do any damage." It felt like his new bodyguard was breathing down his neck and Nekozawa wanted rid of the man, but it was not allowed. His parents were worried because they had been getting threats, and they would not take the chance with either of their children.

"Be that as it may sir, please allow me to do my job properly."

"Yes. Yes. Now come. I want to get to the Black Magic Club and see for myself what changes have been made."

"Yes, Umehito-sama," the bodyguard bowed and followed his master without question. Haruhi? He would make a note of that name and keep it for future reference. It might actually come in handy.

It took Haruhi twenty minutes before she was able to fight off the blond, grab the box he had for her, and then rush back to class, which she was tardy for and had to stand outside the classroom while the others learned. She really hoped and prayed Hikaru and Kaoru were taking good notes. "Stupid Tamaki-senpai. It wasn't even that important," she grumbled softly.

"My, my, what are you doing out here, Haruhi?" Nekozawa asked as he wandered his old school and saw the student leaning against a wall while class was in session. He had been unable to get into the club room because the door was locked and he no longer had the key.

"Tamaki-senpai is a baka," she replied.

"Speaking of your senpai in such a way…" he teased.

Sweat dropping, Haruhi asked, "Do you not remember Tamaki-senpai? Remember the whole incident with your sister?"

A chuckle escaped, "Oh I remember very well. He is a bit…shall we say extravagant?"

"That's one way to put it," she snickered. "So what are you doing here, senpai? I thought you left Japan."

"I did and found Russia to be less than ideal for me."

"What about your wedding?"

"Long story, but no bride."

"Sorry."

"Nothing to apologize for, it wasn't your doing. Or was it?"

"Maybe Beelzenef didn't like her."

His laugh now sounded in the empty all, filling it with echoing mirth, "You know, I hadn't thought of that."

"Don't worry senpai. There is someone out there who is better for you. If my dad can find my mom, you can find someone too."

"What are you trying to imply?"

If she was still the same first year student influenced by Tamaki and the twins, she might have been very afraid, but instead, she just smiled, "I just mean, there is someone out there for everyone, and even if you aren't like everyone else or your hobbies are different than the norm, I believe you'll find the person you're looking for."

Grinning, he nodded, "You may be right. Wise words coming from someone so young."

"Maybe, but I've lived enough to know."

"Indeed you have." Most people he knew had not lost their mother at a young age, and if they had, it had not affected them as it probably did the Fujioka household. He had always admired Haruhi's determination and drive, and now he could add wisdom to that list. "You'll make someone a very good husband someday."

Another sweat drop, "Eh? Senpai..." Whatever she was going to say was drowned out by the ringing of the bell and seconds later the halls were flooded with students rushing to get to lunch.

"Excuse me Haruhi, but I need to find Reiko. It was good seeing you again," Nekozawa bowed his head slightly and then left her standing in the hall just as two identical faces emerged from her own class.

"Who were you talking to?" Kaoru questioned.

Hikaru stared down the hall and noticed the black cloak, "Were you talking to Nekozawa-senpai?"

"Yes, he's here visiting, and for some reason he still thinks I'm a guy," Haruhi deadpanned.

"Well, you are wearing the male uniform," the twins giggled simultaneously.

"Whatever. Let's just go eat lunch. I want to kill Tamaki-senpai!"

Later that day, as Haruhi was walking out of a bookstore, still in her uniform, she gasped, "Senpai?!"

"This makes three times in one day," Nekozawa chuckled. "Can I give you a ride home?"

"Umm…"

"Surely a ride won't hurt you. I already know where you live."

"Sure. Thank you, senpai."

Climbing into the car with her friend, she didn't realize that this would not be the friendly escort she believed. The locks went down, the partition between passenger and driver went up, and the two friends fell into a slump against each other as gas was pumped into the back. They just became hostages.

"I have the package as requested, and a bonus," his new bodyguard was not exactly what he appeared to be.


	2. Kidnapped

**A/N: Thank you! Compared to my other stories, this one may get a bit darker, but I think involving Nekozawa and a kidnapping plot tends to make it so naturally. I have some things plotted already about what I want to happen and how the reveal will take place, and hopefully, it will turn out well. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2 – Kidnapped

Something wasn't right. She felt groggy and slow witted, and her head felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to it. What happened? Slowly opening her eyes, Haruhi groaned with the strain of that small action, and when she finally had both lids lifted, sheer blackness greeted her. What? Not even her room was this black with all of the lights out. Her heart started to race, her breathing became shallower. Where was she? She tried to lift her hand and found she could barely move them as they were tied above her head. She couldn't breathe, and the only thing she knew, she was lying on a bed in utter darkness and she was afraid.

"Haruhi, try to slow your breathing or you're going to pass out again," a voice called from the darkness.

"Who's…Who's there?" Haruhi snapped, her senses on alert.

"Haruhi, it's me. Umehito Nekozawa."

"Nekozawa-senpai?" Just hearing that it was someone she knew made her feel a bit calmer, and helped to stop her hyperventilating. "Where are we? What happened?"

Shrugging in the darkness, he winced, but tried not to let out an audible sound. He could tell the petite boy was already afraid…and he had to admit, he was as well. "We've been kidnapped. As to where, I don't know."

"K-K-Kidnapped? Why?"

"You really have to ask? Most of the students at Ouran have bodyguards for one reason or another."

"I know!" She snapped again. The fear of the situation plus his seemingly nonchalant attitude about the kidnapping grated on her nerves.

Nekozawa sighed. He was handling this whole situation wrongly. Taking a deep breath, he let it out, "My parents had been receiving threats lately for a variety of reasons. If I were to guess, I would say my bodyguard was the wrong man to hire. I'm…I apologize for putting you in this situation."

Nothing was said for a short period of time, and then Haruhi meekly asked, "Do you think we'll get out of this?"

"We have to," he announced positively, and while he was not altogether certain of their fate, he would do what he could to make sure they both got out of here in one piece; and even if he couldn't survive, the innocent boy who had been taken with him, would make it home. He would do everything in his power to make sure it happened. Too bad he didn't have Beelzenef or his cauldron. "Can you move at all?"

Twisting her body, she tried to move from where she lay and finally shook her head, "No. You?"

"No. I'm tied to a chair or something."

"Why is it so black?"

"Not sure, but it could be a dungeon or something," he deadpanned.

"Dun-Dungeon?" This whole situation was beginning to sound like it was pulled right out of the hosts' imagination rather than a real situation. Tamaki would even do anything and everything possible to make it authentic; however, none of them would lock her up with Nekozawa in the dark. Not like this.

"Maybe, maybe not. It could also be an inner room without windows."

"They probably tied us separately so we could not try to help each other, while the darkness removes some of our senses and makes us feel disoriented, making the fear and terror of the situation increase. Basic prisoner and torture tactics."

Sweat dropping, Haruhi asked, "Umm, Nekozawa-senpai, how do you know that?"

"I read a book on torture. Many times they will cover your head and such, but I have nothing over my head, so they didn't go so far. I'm a little surprised they did not tape our mouths shut. Not being able to talk and communicate like this would actually amplify the feelings."

"Senpai, please don't give anyone any ideas." That being said, she had to admit that she did feel better being able to talk to him. She was still afraid, but it was lessoned by hearing his voice. Never before had she realized how deep and soothing it could be, kind of like Mori's voice.

He was about to say something, but paused before telling her, "We're in this together, Haruhi. No matter what happens, we'll get out of this together."

"Thanks, senpai. Why do you think they kidnapped you?"

His eyes looked upwards…or what should have been upwards, he actually wasn't sure any longer since the absence of light was starting to mess with his equilibrium. Normally, he didn't mind the dark. It scared him naught, but this was different. "How much do you know about my family?"

"You worship cats, you have ties to Russia, and something about guns."

Her blunt answer amused him, "Close. My father is Japanese, and my mother is Russian. As with most marriages in our circle, it was arranged in order to increase power and holdings. In past generations, my family did sell guns to make their fortune and have ties to the Russian mafia. We also have ties to the former imperial family. My mother's family has quite a bit of power in Russia and my father is the ambassador to Russia from Japan. My grandfather has held a seat in the Japanese parliament for decades and after he retired, my father's brother managed to obtain the seat. Needless to say, there are political reasons on both sides for me to be at risk."

"So whoever this is believes they can either influence political arenas or they want money."

"That would be correct. Lately the threats have been coming more often and my parents decided to hire more bodyguards for Kirimi and I. Apparently, one my bodyguards is either a mole or decided to make a deal after we hired him."

"Why would someone do that?"

He chuckled, "You are ever the obtuse one. Money has the power to sway many people."

"I just don't understand why. Maybe I'm different than most people, but there are things out there that are more important. You don't need to be rich to be happy, and from what I've seen, I'm better off than half the students at Ouran and I don't have a fraction of their wealth."

"Blunt and naïve, but I do believe you might be right." Haruhi had always intrigued him a bit, and Nekozawa had to admit that he was further intrigued by this conversation. If he had been a she, maybe… No. It was best to leave those thoughts where they were. Then again, there had always been a slight attraction to the natural host; maybe his parents could forgive him for an alternative relationship. Who knew? Right now there were other problems to deal with.

After hearing nothing from her kidnap buddy, she asked, "How are we going to get out of this, senpai?"

"Maybe Tamaki and the twins will break down the wall and rescue us in order to save you. I hear his daddy complex is as strong as ever." He waited to hear her snicker before he sighed, "I don't know. For now, we need to go along with anything they say. My family will do what they can to rescue us, including paying the ransom."

"My dad can't do that…"

"I know, but I'm not leaving you behind. This was my fault, and ergo, my family will take responsibility."

"You're starting to sound like that prince your sister always imagined you to be."

He snorted, "Maybe."

"Senpai, what happened when you left for Russia?" She needed to hear his voice, to talk about anything and everything. Sitting in the darkened room, listening to nothing but their breathing would drive her insane and force her anxiety to rise again.

His head went back as far as it could and he finally said, "I remember fond memories of my mother's homeland, but my childhood friends changed, school was boring and I learned nothing new, and my fiancée left me before I could even meet her. Apparently the Nekozawa family's reputation precedes them and she was afraid, not to mention she fell in love with someone and decided to run off with him. She compared me to Rasputin. While I may study the dark arts, I do not believe I am evil."

"Sorry. She was wrong about you though."

"I'm not sorry. I feel more at home here than I do there, and I loath arranged marriages. It may have worked for my family in the past, and it is the way to do things for many families in the upper echelon, I have never wanted one for myself. Even your closest friends will more than likely have arranged marriages. Maybe not Tamaki based on what happened with his father, but then again, his grandmother did already try to arrange a marriage for him once. The Hitachiin family is a little different and they probably won't be forced into anything, but the other three…their brides might already be chosen for them. Imagine trying to build a relationship with someone who is a complete stranger to you."

"Yeah. Not good."

He could hear the tremor in her voice, "Haruhi?"

"I'll be okay senpai. I'm just a little…"

"I know."

Sniffling a little, she said, "I think this is the most you and I have talked alone since I've known you."

"Mmm. You may be correct. Tamaki was always trying to keep you away from me, afraid of what I might do to you. I wonder what he will do to me when he learns you were kidnapped because of me."

"This isn't your fault, senpai."

"I beg to differ."

The sound of the door opening and the small sliver of light interrupted their conversation. A click, and the overhead light flicked on filling the room with a bright glow forcing its prisoners to squeeze their eyes shut. The light was overwhelming to their eyes after being in the dark for so long.

"Nice to see both of you awake," Nekozawa's bodyguard sneered.

Sitting up a little straighter in the chair he had been tied to, Nekozawa growled, "Tanaka, what is the meaning of this?"

"Meaning sir? Nothing more than a negotiation and you are the bait."

"I demand that you release Haruhi! He has nothing to do with this!"

"You demand? I don't think you're in any position to demand anything. The way I see it, we have twice the power we would have had with just you. He's just as good of a bargaining chip as you are."

"You don't seem to know whom you are dealing with…ugh!" All bravado slipped away when a fist connected with his stomach. If he had not been tied up, he would have slumped over and fallen.

Laughing, Tanaka said, "No, you don't know who you are dealing with."

"Leave him alone!" Haruhi shouted. She thrashed around on the bed in an attempt to get free.

Tanaka left the room for a moment before returning with a bucket of water and dumping on Haruhi, and then he laughed mockingly as she sputtered and struggled to breathe again, "I recommend you shut-up. You're not exactly sitting in the lap of luxury here." He left the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Har-Haruhi, are you all right?" Nekozawa groaned. His stomach still hurt and he was just starting to catch his breath.

Still coughing a little, Haruhi answer, "Yeah. I'll live." The water had gone in her mouth and up her nose, confirming to her those things you see on television sometimes actually work. She couldn't imagine it happening for longer while her face was covered with a rag.

Uncertain what these people wanted, or was involved, even the dark arts practitioner had to admit that they might be in more danger than he initially believed. What exactly did these people want? It was more than apparent they didn't care how they treated their prisoners, so he had to wonder if he and Haruhi would actually make it out alive. Right now, he could not say for sure.

Lifting his head, he looked at his friend and tried to reassure him, but before he could say anything, he noticed a shadow or something through the wet white shirt, "Haruhi, are you wearing a bra?"

"Well, yeah. I have to. Senpai, do you really think we'll be okay?"

"I do," he lied, and then returned to his former topic, "What do you mean you have to?"

"I'm a girl. A girl usually wears these things."

He took comfort in the fact her voice was getting stronger, and yet, he was shocked, "You're a girl?"

"It's a long story."

"I think we have time." How had this little snippet of information escape him? Now he understood why Tamaki called her daughter instead of son...and why his own eyes seemed to follow her whenever they were in the same room. When did she become a he? Did this mean his slight attraction was acceptable? No, there were still other things to be concerned about. A girl? He couldn't believe it, and it suddenly dawned on him how much their situation had changed. What was going to happen to her if the kidnappers found out her sex? He needed to do anything and everything possible in order to protect her and her secret.

She snickered and coughed again spitting up more water. With a hoarse voice, she said, "You might be right."

"I would reconsider how much time you have," the door opened and revealed a man who chose to hide his face behind a mask. "You might not have as much time as you think you do."


	3. Demands

**A/N: What is going to happen to Nekozawa and Haruhi? How bad is this? We'll see. You just have to read to find out.** **Also, I will be going to visit my older sister in Virginia for a few weeks. I'll still be writing, but it might get haphazard for a bit. Just wanted to let you know. Enjoy!**

 **PS... My novel is done and back from the proofreaders. After doing some minor corrections, I will be self-publishing this week! I'm beyond excited. As soon as I get it published, I will give you all of the information for those who would like to read it.**

Chapter 3 – Demands

They had been missing for less than a day. Kidnapped and taken hostage for some unknown reason, and the black magic practitioner wished he knew exactly why he had been captured with Haruhi. No matter what, he had to protect her with everything he could because it was his fault she found herself in this type of situation, and he would take responsibility. Of course his mind was still swimming and trying to shift from thinking of her as a "he" to a "she". Why hide her gender? How had this even happened? Seeing someone shift to his left, he decided to abandon those thoughts for now. If they made it out of this, he would get the full story then, but for now, they had other worries, and even he had to admit that he was afraid of what their future held.

Leaning against the door frame, the man in the mask snickered, "Oh, I love to see the look of fear on someone's face…right before they die." He had not heard his captives' entire conversation, but he had heard enough. Anything and everything said could be twisted and convoluted to suit his purposes; and he did have a purpose for kidnapping at least one of his prisoners. The other…he wasn't sure what he was going to do with the petite student lying on the bed, but he was sure he could find something to do with him.

Nekozawa shook his head and said, "If you wanted us dead, you wouldn't have brought us here, and you wouldn't be hiding your face right now."

"Maybe…maybe not. I could be hiding behind a mask for other reasons. Did you know that in Medieval Europe, an executioner always wore a mask?" A gasp from the other captive made him laugh, "Oh yes. Most people never saw their faces. They weren't the only ones to practice such things, but they were the most well-known for it. You never knew what the executioner was thinking. Were they happy to perform such duties? Were they sad? Who knows? I'll let you in on a little secret of mine though…I love to see people suffer. Now, depending on how well everyone cooperates will decide how much fun I get to have…it will also determine how well your bodies are preserved in the end." He left the room and slammed the door behind, turning off the light as he exited, plunging his captive into darkness once again.

When she could not stand the silence any longer, Haruhi asked, "Senpai? What the hell is going on?"

"I honestly don't know, Haruhi." He sat there for a moment before he said, "I think it best if you keep quiet for now about your background. If they think you're of no use to them…" His voice tapered off with the unspoken doom.

"Got it. So you don't know what this is about?"

"As I stated before, it could be any number of things. I just wish you weren't involved."

"We'll get through this. I'm sure once they realize I'm missing, Tamaki-senpai, Kyoya-senpai, and the others will start their search. Kyoya-senpai could probably find a needle in a haystack with his information network," she tried to sound more confident than she felt.

Trying to get her mind off of things, he asked, "Are they the reason you hid your gender?"

"Kind of."

"What happened?"

She knew what he was trying to do, and was grateful, even if it didn't completely distract her, "I broke a vase."

"Excuse me?"

"During my first year, I was trying to find a place to study and happened to believe music room three was abandoned."

"It wasn't."

"No, it wasn't. Tamaki was so interested in me and how I was able to get into Ouran on scholarship that he basically chased me around the room and I ran into one of the pedestals which had a Renaissance vase on it and before I could grab it, it crashed to the floor and shattered into what seemed like a million pieces. Apparently, they were going to use the vase in an auction to raise money for charity, and I broke it. Well, I had help, but Kyoya-senpai had other ideas. The twins made a big deal about how I didn't have any money and wouldn't be able to pay it back. Then Kyoya-senpai asked Tamaki-senpai what we should do and he decided I was going to become the Host Club dog. At this point everyone but Kyoya-senpai thought I was a guy. Then they decided to do a makeover one day and make me a host. I went along with it so that I could pay my debt back faster. The others started to finally figure out that I was a girl…well everyone but Tamaki-senpai. Kyoya-senpai made me dress up in the girl's uniform and Tamaki-senpai walked in on me changing, and that's how he finally figured it out. So I stayed in the male uniform and worked as a host to pay back the cost of the vase. I have to admit though, I kind of had fun and met some really nice people. I never had friends like the other hosts. They were goofy, crazy, and impossible sometimes, but they were good friends that I could count on all the time."

"Did you ever pay back your debt?"

"I did. I finished it by the end of my first year."

"Why are you still wearing the male uniform?"

"To be honest, it's more comfortable than the dress and I'm not the biggest fan of the yellow."

"But you were still hosting after your first year."

"I was. I had a lot of customers and it was fun to hang out with everyone. I don't know. I guess I also figured that if I started dressing like a girl, I couldn't be a host and then I couldn't really hang out or socialize with the guys. Silly I know, but I was kind of afraid we wouldn't be friends any longer. The Host Club is kind of what binds us."

"Are you still friends even though Suoh and the others have graduated."

"I guess, but it is more like they come and visit the Host Club when they can."

"Do you think they would do that if you and the twins were gone?"

"I think so. They want to make girls happy."

"I think they probably come because you are there. I know you have met outside of the Host Club as well. They have always known you were a girl, so why would dressing as a girl and leaving the Host Club change that? You may not be able to meet during club times, but you could always meet on the weekend or after school. Considering Suoh calls you his daughter, I very seriously doubt they would abandon you for leaving the club."

She lay in silence for a moment before responding, "You might be right, senpai."

"Could it be, you're afraid because you have special feelings for one or more of the hosts?"

Sweat dropping, she shook her head before she remembered that he couldn't see her, "No, absolutely not!"

"Your adamant reply, makes me think that might be a possibility."

"Nope. Not in a million years. I will admit that they are good friends - some of the best I've ever had - I do not feel that way for any of them. Not anymore."

"Any more?"

In her haste to defend herself, she had let something slip that she had not meant to, however, before she could explain further, the door to their cell opened with such force, it banged against the wall. Instead, she gasped.

"Don't worry little boy. We don't need you just yet," the bodyguard stomped over to Nekozawa and untied him, warning, "If you do anything, I'll kill him and it'll be your fault. Now play nice, or he pays."

Nodding, Nekozawa did what he was told and did not cause any trouble. His first priority was to keep Haruhi safe. Luckily, the kidnappers had not realized her true gender yet, and he wanted it to remain that way for as long as possible, "Why don't you just let him go? It will be easier on you to only have to deal with me and he is nothing to you." He hissed in pain from the fist that had landed on his stomach.

"I don't think that's for you to decide. The way we see it, he is just as valuable a commodity as you are," Tanaka sneered as he ripped the blonde's dark wig off of him and threw it across the room. Grabbing him by the hair, he jerked the younger man off of the chair and pulled him out of the room.

Haruhi was left alone in the dark with only her thoughts and imagination to keep her company. What was going to happen to them? What did these people want? Never before had she ever wished Tamaki's overprotective daddy act would go into overdrive now. She really hoped he did his nightly call, and when he found out she never made it home, she really prayed he panicked and enlisted Kyoya's help, "Please kami. Let them find us."

In another room of the kidnappers hideout. Nekozawa struggled to break free. There were so many bright lights shining down on him, and even though he could stand some light thanks to Renge's training during his third year at Ouran, this was too much. Too much brightness and heat. He couldn't stand it! As if that wasn't enough, on the table to the side of him, lay Beelzenef ripped to pieces; and the knife used to cut up his beloved puppet was now hovering a mere inch from his face, its tip blackened from the candle used to heat it.

"Now, you're going to cooperate and read the script as it is written, or your friend will pay the consequence…not that we'll leave you unharmed," the masked man stated. Dialing a number, he waited until someone had picked up before saying, "I see you got my message. Good for you. I have your son and one of his little friends, and you will do what I say or else."

"Where is Umehito? How do we know you really have him?" A feminine voice demanded.

"Oh, it sounds as if your mommy wants to talk to you," the kidnapper chuckled maliciously. "Now, answer her." When Nekozawa remained silent, he pressed the hot tip of the knife on his cheek causing the young man to scream.

"What are you doing to our son?!" His father bellowed.

"It's your turn. Don't make me mad," the kidnapper ordered.

"Mo-Mother, father, it's me," his voice was strained and he sounded out of breath, but the black magic practitioner did as he was told, "Haruhi and I have been taken prisoner. If you want to see us alive, you will do what they tell you to do."

After the script had been read, the kidnapper returned the knife to the flame and said, "I wasn't able to really find anything out about this Haruhi, but it is only a matter of time. I suggest you follow instructions if you want to see your boy again. Isn't he your only heir? Your proud son? You will get further instructions tomorrow. If you fail, your hands will be covered with the blood of two young men." He pressed the tip of the blade to his prisoner's hand, causing another round of screaming, and then he disconnected the line. The last thing the parents heard was the agonizing cries of their eldest child.

"You…you won't get away with this. Someone will…will find us," Nekozawa spoke, his voice hoarse and breathless.

Laughing, the masked man said, "You can believe anything you want, but no one will find us. We are in a remote location and the rooms you will be in are sound proof. No one will hear a thing, if someone actually manages to pass by." He took the knife and slashed it across the blonde's chest, cutting through his shirt and slicing into his skin. Blood started to seep through the shallow gash, "Enough that it will leave a scar, but not deep enough that it would be life threatening. I can't have you dying on me just yet. Shall I close it up for you?" The blade was returned to the flame as the he ordered the other man, "Tanaka, take his shirt off of him."

Without questioning his superior, the bodyguard ripped the shirt off of his former charge and took a step back.

Pressing the blade to the wound, the masked man cauterized the cut and laughed, "Oh my, this is fun. Why don't you scream more?" He dug the blade into Nekozawa's shoulder, his laugh getting louder as his prisoner's cries increased in volume and intensity. Pulling the blade out, he allowed the wound to bleed as he grabbed a banding iron out of a small wood stove set in the corner, "Now where shall I mark you next?"

It felt like hours had passed before Haruhi heard the door to the room open once again. Tanaka threw an unconscious Nekozawa on the floor and then shut it again, not even bothering with tying the young man up. She was scared. "Nekozawa-senpai?" She called out and got no response. Again and again she tried, but he did not answer. Tears started to form in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She had to remain strong and keep her wits about her. Struggling against her bonds, she called out again. Where was the cavalry? "Nekozawa-senpai? Please wake up. Someone please help."


	4. Shock

**A/N: I hope everyone is having a great summer. I delayed my return from my sister's house by a week and am still in Virginia. I will be back next week and will then be back to my normal updating schedule. I have had some problems getting the cover to my book completed, but once that is done, it will be published. Please stay tuned for more information. For the story, Nekozawa's parents now know that Haruhi was taken, but will that help at all? Do they know who she is (or should we say he)? Enjoy the new chapter. Sorry it's a little shorter than normal, this just felt complete the way it was.**

Chapter 4 – Shock

After the phone line went dead, cutting off the blood curdling screams of her son, Tatyana Nekozawa panicked and released her own scream before fainting, falling to the ground since her own husband was unable to move fast enough. He, himself, frozen where he stood, shocked and frightened to his core. Hajime Nekozawa watched as his wife fell and it barely registered that she had fainted, his mind still reeling with everything he just heard: his son's frightened voice, the scream that sent shivers up his spine, and then overwhelming silence filling the room.

"Nekozawa-san," Fumio, one of the bodyguards assigned to Tatyana, tried to wake his employer, but she did not even flinch. Laying her back on the ground, he rushed to the door and ordered the first maid he saw to bring the first aid kit. It would have smelling salts that would be sure to wake the woman who still lay on the floor.

"They said they had a Haruhi as well. Who's that?" Gorou, the head of Nekozawa security, questioned upon seeing his underling had the situation with Tatyana under control.

"Haruhi?" Hajime asked as if he was just hearing that name for the first time. Now was not the time to lose his mind. His son needed him to remain as calm as possible and do whatever he could to bring him home safe. His mind tried to bring up an image of anyone named Haruhi and for the life of him, he could think of no one. Shaking his head, he reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose before finally answering, "I…I don't know. I've never heard that name from Umehito. I'm sure it's a student from Ouran, but I don't know who he is."

"We'll have contact Ouran and notify them of the situation with this Haruhi and to find out more information on him, and then…" Gorou was interrupted before he could continue. A small gasp came from the open door, and there stood Kirimi close to tears. The bodyguard could tell the little girl was upset. Did she know something?

Hearing his little girl, Hajime tried to compose himself and said, "Kirimi, I need you to go to your room for a little bit."

"What's wrong with Nii-san and Haruhi?" She cried, running to her father.

Before his employer could push the girl out of the room, Gorou asked, "Kirimi-Chan, do you know Haruhi?"

Her head bobbed up and down, "Of course. He's the bookworm who read to me."

"Bookworm?"

"He is with Tamaki-nii."

"Tamaki-nii?" As far as the bodyguard knew, there were only two children: one boy and one girl.

"At the high school."

Hajime frowned, "Do you mean Tamaki Suoh?" It was the only Tamaki he knew of at Ouran, but even he didn't know all of the students at the school.

The blonde head moved up and down vigorously, "Yep! Haruhi doesn't have money so he has to study to keep his grades up. He gets to go without paying."

"Is he on scholarship?"

"That's it!"

Somewhere in the back of his mind, the father could remember hearing about the scholarship student and how brilliant he appeared to be, but Hajime could not remember the name. That being said, if this was the same Haruhi, then this could be very bad. These kidnappers were after specific things and Haruhi's family would not be able to contribute with power, knowledge, or money. All of this meant it could become deadly for Haruhi and possibly his own son. Clenching his fist, he picked up the phone and dialed the chairman of the school directly.

"Moshi, moshi," Yuzuru Suoh answered the phone after three rings.

"Chairman Suoh, this is Hajime Nekozawa. I need to speak with you in regards to a student named Haruhi." He didn't care that it was evening time. He didn't care if the chairman was busy. The only thing he was concerned about, the two victims of the kidnapping, and more importantly, his own child.

Smiling automatically, Yuzuru said, "Haruhi Fujioka. A wonderful student and at the top of her class."

"Her?"

"Yes, although she does have permission to wear the boy's uniform while she is here due to certain circumstances."

"Oh kami!"

"What? Is something wrong? Did she do something?"

"She and Umehito have been kidnapped. The criminals seem to believe she is a he and can give them something."

His hand flew to his mouth and the chairman spoke in a panic, "Oh no! This…she can't. She's a scholarship student. Her father is her only family and their only source of income."

"What about her mother?"

"Dead." Yuzuru took in a shaky breath and said, "I'll call Fujioka-san and give him your number. Actually, I'll pick him up and bring him to your house. I don't want to tell him this over the phone…Have the kidnappers asked for anything?"

The nightmare of a phone call came back making the father relive it all, "They…They will call tomorrow with further directions. I'll inform my staff to expect you. As you can imagine, we are on lockdown."

"I understand. I will call when we are on our way. Please expect us."

"Chairman, I should not have to say this to you, but please do not tell anyone else about this."

"I understand. We will talk more when we arrive," the Suoh head spoke quietly. Had they called the police? What were they doing to retrieve the children? So many questions and for now, he had no answers. How was he going to tell Ranka that his only daughter and family was in danger when he had promised the other father himself Haruhi would be safe while at Ouran?

Within an hour, both men were walking into the Nekozawa home, and the moment Ranka saw the Nekozawa patriarch, he cried out, "What has happened to my little girl?"

Blinking quickly, Hajime was not expecting to see a redheaded woman walk in. Didn't the chairman say Haruhi had a father? "Excuse me, but who are you?"

"I'm Ranka, Haruhi's father."

Swallowing his shock, the Nekozawa patriarch stated, "Then Ranka, we are in the same situation. Our children are in danger and we are trying everything we can to get them back."


	5. Release Thy Binds

**A/N: I haven't decided how I am going to send in the cavalry just yet, but after reading everyone's reviews, I will promise that the hosts will be involved. I wasn't sure if I wanted to involve them or not, however, I have been swayed. Enjoy the new chapter!**

 **PS… For those interested, I have published my book Another Chance and it is available in a softback or e-book on Amazon (although, I have been told you should be able to order the book from major book sellers in 6-8 weeks). Another Chance by Maria Vickers. Thank you everyone!**

Chapter 5 – Release Thy Binds

He wanted to scream out in agony. His senses were returning and with them, his pain sensors were on overdrive. Nekozawa couldn't be sure where he was or how long he had been out. Had it been mere minutes, hours, or was it more like days? His body felt like it was on fire and his clothes hung like shredded rags on his body after being torn and cut away so his captors could brand him like cattle. Even his throat felt raw from screaming so much.

He didn't want to move, and he wished he was still unconscious so he couldn't feel the pain from his burns and cuts – his captors were exactly careful when they used a knife on his clothes, and he knew they didn't care if they damaged the merchandise. In fact, if he had to make a guess, he had a feeling they weren't planning on letting him go nor was the torture over. If he was wrong, it would be a true miracle. His parents would try to find him, abut would they even be able to find his body?

His eyes moved to and fro, searching for any sliver of light, any clue that this was a horrible nightmare and he would wake up…and he found nothing. He was enshrouded in utter darkness, and normally this was a blackness he coveted, but not now. It felt as if the murkiness was closing in on him, threatening to suffocate him… Assuredly, this was not a feeling he was familiar with, and at the same time, he felt like he was forgetting something important, something more important than his pain, his situation, or the blackness that engulfed him. What was it?

Hearing a soft hiccough coming from another part of the darkness, he remembered. This was not only his situation. Haruhi had been captured as well, and based on her earlier full disclosure, she might be in more trouble than him. This was no situation for a girl, and he was afraid that if their captors were willing to torture him with their fists, knives, and molten metal, they would probably not bat an eye at doing whatever they wanted with a female in their possession. They had to get out of here!

"Haruhi…" His voice sounded breathless and in pain even to his own ears. "Har-Haruhi."

She had been trying to muffle her whimpers and cries, to hide her weakness from anyone and everyone because she hated showing weakness to anyone. During her first year in high school, Tamaki had discovered her fear of thunderstorms, and eventually the others found out as well. Now they all try to take turns to be there for her during a storm. For the most part, she welcomes them even though she cringes inside because she gave into her fear yet again. When she was a kid, she had lost her mother, and her father cried a lot. She did too, but whenever she cried, felt fear, or hurt herself, her father felt guilty and would cry some more. Sometimes he would even miss work for her. She learned early on that it was better for her father if she hid her fears and pain from him.

In this room with Nekozawa, was no different. She was terrified and when he would not answer her after he had been returned to the room, she started to panic. Her heart rate increased, her body felt hot, she wanted to flee, and the tears came unbidden to her eyes; however, hearing his voice calling out to her sounded like music to her ears. He was alive and awake. She didn't know his current condition since she could not get a good look at him when he had been tossed into the room, but she would take what she could get for now…even if he sounded like he was about to pass out again. "Senpai? Are you okay?" She wasn't sure why she asked that because she was more than a little sure that he was anything but okay.

"I'll live. How are you? Did they come back after they took me?" The wheels in his head were turning. His kidnappers had not retied his hands and had left him unsecured on the floor. They either thought he would be out longer or they did not fear he could or would attempt escape. In short, they were confident, which meant they either had every right to be, or they were overly stupid. Nekozawa had a feeling it was more than likely the former.

"Only when you were returned."

"Only…?" Did this mean there were only the two captors? Possible, but it was just as possible that somewhere in this building that housed this…whatever the hell it was, others would be found, hindering their escape.

"What is it senpai?" Haruhi asked, and when she did not receive a response, she believed he might need a moment to think. Seconds ticked by, and she could almost hear the ticking of a clock, and she still did not disturb him; however, soon the silence was too much to bear and she snapped, "Senpai!"

"Haruhi?"

"Yes?"

"Was it a different person that brought me back? How long ago?"

"It was your bodyguard, and…"

He interrupted her quickly, "He is no longer in my employ."

"Fine then. Your ex-bodyguard. I'm not sure about the guy in that mask."

"How long ago was I returned?"

"I…I don't really know, senpai. I just…"

There was a catch in her voice, a small tremble heard. "It's all right, Haruhi. Just focus. Best guess. It doesn't have to be exact."

Taking in a deep breath, she tried to calm herself and then cleared her throat, "I'm not sure, but probably an hour or so. I tried to call out to you, but you never answered. I was pretty sure you were still breathing if you came in, but…"

"Don't focus on that. I'll be fine once we get out of there." In actuality, he wasn't sure if he would be or not. Places on his body were still on fire, he still had cuts on him, and the deepest knife wound ached. He could feel the blood had crusted and caked his clothes to his body. At least they weren't oozing, or at least he didn't think they were. "Can you move?"

"No, they left me tied up."

"I think that's the first thing we need to resolve." His will was stronger than his body. He tried to stand, only to fall back to the floor, every movement he made gave him agony, but as someone once said, the pain reminded him that he was still alive and breathing. Rolling over to his stomach, he had to snuff out a scream, to force it to stay behind his closed lips. His next movement gave him a small measure of relief as he dragged one of his legs up and under him, lifting his lower body slightly off of the floor. His other leg mimicked the same action. Now he lay in a position that reminded him of bowing low to the floor, prostrating himself. His arms lay limp at his sides, but he forced them to move making his palms flat on the floor near his shoulders, like he was about to do a pushup. The only thing in his mind was that if he could manage to get up and crawl over to the bed where Haruhi lay, he could pull himself up further using the furniture and then untie her. He had to get her out of here. She was an innocent woman who had been caught in a web of treason and danger, one she was never meant to be part of, and he had to save her. He did not want to see that sparkle in her eyes, the smile on her face to disappear before her time. She was still too young to experience such horrors in life.

Breathing deeply in and out, he sounded more like he was hyperventilating than actually breathing. And when he felt he was ready, he used his arms to push himself upwards. They wobbled and strained, but he was finally up off of the floor, even if it was just on all four of his limbs. His body sighed in relief. "Haruhi, talk to me. I am going to come to you to see if I can remove your bindings."

"What am I supposed to say? I kind of wish the others would burst through that door and find us, or that your magical door would just appear. We could go through it and escape. Do you know of any spell or incantation to get save us? Maybe a curse to put on the people that took us? If they passed out unconscious, we could run away. Or what about a spell that would contact Kyoya-senpai? If he knew we were in trouble, I bet he could find us and send in his Black Onion Squad. I wouldn't even mind if he charged me for it all. What about something to heal you first though? We should probably work on that first and then go from there…"

He wanted to laugh. She was rambling, but he had asked to her talk so he could find her, but her choice of subject made him smile. His progress was slow going, but at least he was making progress. With each step forward he crawled, his wounds screamed and he was pretty sure some of them had started to bleed again, his stab wound had. Blood was trickling down his arm, but it wasn't gushing and that was something to be thankful for. Another step. Almost there. Another step and he was closer.

Halfway there, he fell and cried out in pain, his arms having trouble supporting him. He heard Haruhi cry out his name, worried about him. He wanted to close his eyes and forget everything, but he would not do that to her. He had to keep moving. Pushing up with his arms, he started his slow crawl again, "Keep talking. I'm almost there."

She could hear the struggling in his voice, could hear the pain he was trying to mask, and when he screamed, her fear grew. It wasn't only for herself, although, she did fear being left alone in this nightmare, but it was for him too. In the time she had known him, she counted him as one of her friends – eccentric, but still a friend. And even if he wasn't, this was not something she would wish on anyone. Trying her best to keep the tremble out of her voice – she failed – her words continued, "I-I-If Tamaki-senpai were here, he would probably break down the door in his excitement and worry. The twins would set traps for the kidnappers. Hunny-senpai would probably take on everyone and throw them into a pile. And Mori-senpai would help Hunny-senpai and then carry both of us out of this room. I…I… (ahem)…I still think if you could curse them, then we could maybe runaway and call Kyoya-senpai. He always seems to be able to find me whenever Tamaki-senpai wants him to. It's almost like he has a tracking beacon on me, but that's stupid. How would a tracking beacon be on me? Crazy, right? Still, I mean, he is called the Shadow King for a reason. Now that I think about it, I really wouldn't put it past him. Then again, he probably gets all of his information from my dad. For some reason, my dad loves him and they are buddies – though I wish they weren't. My dad even gives Kyoya-senpai pictures of me from when I was younger. That's just annoying and embarrassing. Kyoya-senpai has probably heard every story my dad has about me at least twice, but I think it is more like three times by now…"

As she kept talking, he continued to follow the sound of her voice, ignoring the pain and dizziness. Just a little more. A little closer. Almost falling again, he caught himself. And as he inched closer, his head drooping, the top of his head came in contact with something hard and he let out a sigh of relief. He had made it to his goal. Grabbing the sheet on the bed, he tried to pull himself up and instead fell on his butt. His arms were tired, his legs were tired, and he was tired and hurting.

"Senpai?" She called out after feeling the tautness and then release of the sheet under her.

Shaking his head a little, Nekozawa tried to clear it. He had to get up. He had to move. Reaching up, he grabbed the sheet again and pulled himself up, practically throwing himself on top of the bed and her; and while he might normally like having a girl under him, he wanted to scream in pain again, but managed to keep it down to no more than a grunt. However, he could feel her curves under him and he had to wonder how she had managed to keep all of this hidden for so long.

With his cheek lying on her chest, Haruhi could feel the blush creeping up on her face. She had to remind herself that he was injured and he was only there to help release her bonds; and yet, she could also imagine his sharp blue eyes staring down at her, and her blush increased. "Are…Are you all right, senpai?" She could manage no more than whispering the words.

"Hmm," he grunted in response. He knew he needed to move and to untie her, but it was getting progressively harder to do that. The first time he had met her came to mind. Tamaki had warned her to stay away from him, however, time and time again, they had run into each other – especially after the whole incident with his little sister. Haruhi had helped him and his sister without fear; although, she did tell him later that she never wanted to look at another shojo manga for a long while, and he honestly couldn't blame her. Just thinking about it made him chuckle.

"Senpai?" Had he lost his mind? Haruhi couldn't be sure.

Coming quickly back to his senses, Nekozawa stretched for the hand that was closest to the wall in the darkened room. His right hand felt around and found her elbow, and following that up, found where her wrists were bound. His fingers moved quickly, but he could not undo the knot and his dizziness was increasing. He tried to stretch further while holding himself up with his left arm, however, he could not do it. "Haruhi, I apologize if this seems inappropriate."

"What do you me…?" Her words were cut off as his full weight once again landed on her right before he dragged himself across her body. If Tamaki or the others had been there, they would have accused Nekozawa of trying to molest her or something, but she knew better. He was tired and injured and was trying his best to get them out of this situation.

He drug himself across the bed and his kohai before settling his back against the wall. It offered at least some support, and now that he was not having to keep himself upright (for the most part), he could focus on untying the knots. They still would not budge. His head felt like it was in a fog. This should not be as complicated as it was. He should know how to untie a simple knot, but the words and actions were just out of reach.

"Senpai? Are you all right?" Haruhi called out. She could feel him trying to work on the ropes, but his hands were going slack and she could feel a small bit of wetness covering her wrists and arms. She didn't want to think about what it could be, and she tried to ignore the smell of blood in the air. "Senpai, talk to me," she ordered when he did not answer.

"It should be…I can't remember…" muttered Nekozawa.

"You can't remember what?"

"The words."

"What words?" She had no clue what he was talking about. Words? For what? An incantation? That made no sense because magic wasn't real, and there was no way he had any real power. He just liked to believe he did and his followers wanted to believe he did. And the other students, like Tamaki, were afraid because they couldn't explain him. He was an anomaly in their perfect Ouran culture…kind of like herself. And just when she was about to tell him to forget it, she heard him mumbling something incomprehensible.

"O velikiy bog kot day mne silu i sdelat' svoyu voly! YA prikazyvayu eti obligatsii razvernut' i otpustite ikh v plen!" Commanded the black magic practitioner as he pulled on a rope, and suddenly it gave way and the first hand was freed. He reached down to her right foot and repeated the action and words. One side of the brunette had been unbound, and now he had to do the other side…but he was so tired and his head was spinning. Closing his eyes, he slumped over and landed on the bed, his head next to Haruhi's.

"Senpai? Nekozawa-senpai!" Haruhi just knew that he had passed out again. She wasn't sure what happened, but she knew she needed to help him. Reaching over to her imprisoned left hand, she tried to untie the knot, getting frustrated because she could not loosen it at all. She refused to give up. Nekozawa had not given up on her, and she would not give up on him.

 ** _Elsewhere…_**

"Tanaka, call your contact at the school and find out what you can about this Haruhi and his family," the masked captor smirked. The more ammunition he had, the more likely he would get what he wanted.

"Hai!" The former bodyguard bowed and left to do his master's bidding. Was he the son of a company owner, a politician, or just the heir to old money? When it came to the students at Ouran, it could be almost anything.

 ** _A/N2 – for those who want to know, Nekozawa spoke Russian and said, "Oh great cat god, grant me power and do my bidding. I command these bonds to unfurl and release their prisoner!"_**


	6. Woe to the Enemy

**A/N: For those whose summer vacation has now ended or is about to end due to school, good luck in the new year! I promise a longer chapter next time.**

Chapter 6 – Woe to the Enemy

"Ootori-sama, you told me to call you if anyone started to ask questions about Haruhi Fujioka. I have someone calling in and asking for information regarding this student," stated the caller.

Furrowing his brow, Kyoya inquired, "What information have you supplied and why are they trying to obtain information?"

"I currently have him on hold and have not given any information as of yet."

"Who is asking?"

Did he dare tell the third son of the Ootori family that it was one of his previous contacts and he was sure the caller was up to no good?

"Akimoto-san, was that such a difficult question?" Kyoya had the feeling that something was very wrong, and if that was the case, he needed to make sure he remained in control of the situation.

"No, sir. The caller is Jurou Tanaka. He was one of my friends from high school and college. We have kept in touch through the years and…" Akimoto stopped. This was one of the last people he wanted to know he had sold snippets of information about the students of Ouran. The Ootori family was powerful, and divulging too much information would put his own job and life in jeopardy. "He is also the current bodyguard to Umehito Nekozawa."

"I see. Why does he want the information?"

"I am not sure, but I have a feeling that his request is not innocent."

Kyoya knew he wasn't getting the entire story and that Akimoto was currently withholding information, however, the most pressing matter was the fact that someone was asking for information on the only scholarship student enrolled at Ouran. What kind of information was this Tanaka looking for? Why? If he was employed by the Nekozawa family, it was probably not of a personal nature. In fact, Kyoya knew that the Nekozawa family was currently embroiled in turmoil and they were being targeted. He would need to run his own background check on this supposed bodyguard, but first, "Provide him with scenario B's information."

"Hai!" Akimoto hung up the phone quickly. The longer he stayed on the phone with Kyoya, the more nervous he became.

When Haruhi had first enrolled in Ouran, Kyoya had done his homework and background check on the new scholarship student. He was curious to know what had made her so special. Ouran's entrance exams for commoners was one of the hardest in the world, and was so difficult that it had been almost a decade since they had their last scholarship student…and although there had been several applicants and people who have tried, no other student had passed the test since Haruhi. Needless to say, gaining entrance into Ouran when one's family had no power or money was a true accomplishment. Keeping the scholarship, could be just as difficult as well. A scholarship student had to keep up with his/her studies and remain in the top five students of his/her grade. The student from a decade ago gave under the pressure and dropped out after his first year; Haruhi, on the other hand, shined brightly and remained the top student every term. While it might be difficult, she seemed to thrive in difficult circumstances and bloomed even more than Kyoya thought she would.

The very day Tamaki forced her to work for the Host Club as their dog, Kyoya's background check became even more in depth and he learned of her family tree. Ranka was a commoner from birth, but Kotoko had attended Lobelia…not on scholarship, but with her family's money and connections. She had been disowned when she chose to get involved with Ranka. Since then, the family business had some issues, and when Kotoko's parents passed away and business got worse, it was bought out by Ootori Enterprises. With no heir, the business was unsure of what do to next and the board of directors sighed in relief when they were offered a way out. All of this happened, right after Haruhi lost her mother. No one else knew her history, and he would be surprised if Haruhi was even fully aware of her mother's true background; therefore, Kyoya kept it to himself. Maybe one day he would share it with her, but did she really care to know?

As soon as he knew she was more than a mere commoner, he had made a deal with the employee of Ouran Private Academy. Akimoto was in charge of student records and if anyone wanted information about a student, they would have to go through him. With the deal in place, if anyone started looking for Haruhi, Akimoto would call Kyoya; and just to make sure they were prepared, Kyoya have him three scenarios to use full of fake student information. There was always the possibility that someone would come looking for Haruhi for inheritance purposes, to try and take back the family business, or any number of things. That being said, even he was a little surprised that someone would actually try and obtain information about her now, especially knowing it was Nekozawa's bodyguard. What was going on?

Scenario B would inform the caller that he was a person from an old family with old money. The family was not in charge of any businesses currently, and Haruhi was the possible heir to everything. Truth mixed with lies…just enough so that it didn't completely sound contrived. The phone number given would ring Kyoya's cell phone and he would act as Ranka…without the exuberance. If needed, Kyoya would then call the real Ranka and apprise him of the situation.

He should have known if something involved Haruhi, things hardly ever worked out as planned…because of Ranka and/or Tamaki. Waiting for the phone call from this Tanaka person, his cell phone started to ring and he noticed it was the parent of the very girl he had been thinking about. "Moshi, moshi Ranka," he politely answered the phone.

"Kyoya! They took her!" Ranka screamed.

Adjusting his glasses, Kyoya asked, "Who took her? What happened? Are you talking about Tamaki and the twins? What did they do this time?"

"NO! I'm not talking about that damn idiot! The bodyguard kidnapped my little girl and her friend Nekozawa! I was told not to tell anyone, but I knew if anyone could find her, it would be you. You have to help my little girl!"

Kyoya heard a small struggle and then another voice spoke, "Who is this?"

"This is Kyoya Ootori, Chairman Suoh," Kyoya stated. The chairman was involved? Someone took Haruhi and Nekozawa? Now the phone call asking for information was starting to make a little more sense. Scenario B had definitely been the safest information to pass on.

"Kyoya…" The chairman paused for a moment before sighing and he continued, "Please don't pass this information onto Tamaki."

"I do understand how your son would react, and the last thing this situation needs is his overreacting."

"Thank you."

"What happened?"

"The only thing we know is that earlier today Umehito Nekozawa and Haruhi Fujioka were taken by his bodyguard. We don't know where they were, but while on the phone, they tortured Nekozawa. I'm sure they did more after they hung up. More instructions are to come tomorrow. Please don't do anything that would make this situation worse."

"Chairman, I would not do anything that would endanger Haruhi or Nekozawa-senpai. Have you been able to track the car?"

"I appreciate that. We tried, but it was abandoned near the beach."

"What about tracing their cell phones?"

"Nothing."

"I see."

"Kyoya, don't do anything. You promised."

"I did nothing of the sort. I stated I would not endanger their lives. That does not mean I will sit idly by not doing anything at all."

"Wh-What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to find her."

"Kyoya…"

The Shadow King ended the call before he had to listen to a lecture from his best friend's father. Now wasn't the time for that, and now that he had obtained further information, he could begin looking for his friend. Woe to the person or persons that dared hurt one of the people in the Host Club "family".


	7. Out the Window

**A/N: I hope everyone is doing well. Now that Kyoya is involved, what is going to happen? Will he be able to find them? Okay, that might have been a stupid question since this is Kyoya we're talking about. Enjoy!**

Chapter 7 – Out the Window

One side had been freed, but Haruhi still had one hand and one leg still bound and she needed to get herself free. Her compatriot was in no condition to help her any further; therefore, she needed to stop acting like a scared little girl and start thinking of a way to get them both out of this situation. The first step, untie her other hand and foot. From there, she could decide what to do next.

Reaching over to her left wrist, she tried to work the knots. They didn't want to budge though and her shoulder was cramping with the odd angle it was being kept in. How had Nekozawa done it? He muttered words and the ropes loosened…surely it had to be more than that. Maybe it was the blood. The liquid worked its way to the knots and that helped them to go slack. That made more sense than magic actually existing and working. Magic wasn't real. Was it? She wasn't even sure what he had muttered. It certainly wasn't Japanese. Was it Russian or maybe another language?

She needed to focus and stop worrying about how he freed here right side, needed to stop wondering about what he said and what it meant. Right now, she needed to get herself free and no matter how Nekozawa had accomplished his task, she needed to finish the job.

Again she swung her left arm over to her right wrist and used her fingers to try and loosen the knot. Her right shoulder ached, her finger tips felt numbed and raw at the same time, and her heart beat was increasing from the fear of being caught and of what might happen to them in the near future. She wasn't sure how bad her friend's condition was, but she knew it wasn't good, and that just caused her anxiety to escalate. She couldn't give in though. She couldn't succumb to her terror because if she did, she might very well be sealing their fates; and while she didn't know what Nekozawa wanted, she wasn't exactly ready to die just yet. She still had dreams to fulfill…and besides, if she left the Host Club and her father now, Haruhi could picture the worst case scenario in her mind and it wasn't pretty. No, it was best if she and Nekozawa both made it out alive.

Hissing in pain, Haruhi continued to work the knot holding her wrist. The rope was rough and prickly, cutting into her fingers, numbing them except for the occasional jolt of sharp pain. She would not stop. She would not give up. After what seemed like a lifetime, the knot gave a little. "A little more," she groaned softly. Her shoulder was screaming at her, but she couldn't give up now. If she could just free her wrist, she could sit up and use both hands on her leg. "A little more," her voice was full of determination. "Got it!" She exclaimed quietly. She wanted to cry with joy and relief.

The moment her hand was free, she sat up and knocked her friend off of her. She would worry about him after she untied herself completely. Later, she would probably thank the heavens that she had not seen him before she had freed herself because she had a feeling he looked bad, but for now, she would push her concern for him to the side and work free herself. Her shoulder still protested and her fingers screamed at her to spare them, but she couldn't. She had to break free quickly.

Hunched over as she was, her back started to protest, but she ignored it. Her body was telling her to slow down and take a break, but she couldn't. Instead, she pushed herself to work faster, ignoring the pain and discomfort, a little hiss escaping periodically.

She couldn't be sure how long it took her to free herself, she only knew, neither the masked man or ex-bodyguard entered the room while she was trying to escape from her binds and she managed to break free. Again the fleeting thought of how Nekozawa had been able to accomplish the same thing in a fraction of the time when he had been half unconscious popped into her head, however, she refused to think about it. Especially right now.

Once free, she couldn't rest or relax. She had to move! Turning to her side, she felt around for Nekozawa's shoulder, bushing when her hand fell on his hip first. Higher her hand moved, skimming his side, and when she found his shoulder, she grabbed him and shook him, "Nekozawa-senpai!" She tried to speak as quietly as possible, but that didn't mean he would do the same and she was not prepared for what happened next.

Someone was touching his shoulder, the one that had been stabbed, the one that hurt him the most. Who? It had to be Tanaka or the man in the mask. Haruhi was still tied up…Haruhi…something…was he forgetting something? He didn't have time to think and could only react. He had to protect himself and Haruhi. He had to protect Haruhi's secret. Mustering up all the strength he could, he swung his arm and closed fist towards the person trying to grab him. Moments after he made contact with his assailant, he heard an "oof" and the sound of a body hitting the floor. He didn't stop for one single second and leaped from the bed, adrenaline the only thing keeping him moving.

Haruhi's breath was knocked out of her as soon as she landed backwards on the ground. Nekozawa wasn't acting like himself and she suddenly felt as if she needed to fight for her life. Crying out, she tried to reach him, "Nekozawa-senpai! Senpai! It's me…Haruhi!"

Pulling back his fist so that he could punch the enemy on the ground, the sound of the feminine voice under him started to breach the angry haze that controlled him.

"Senpai, please, it's Haruhi." Tears were once again filling her eyes. The side of her face was on fire, and her back and chest hurt from the impact when she landed, but the only thing on her mind was she needed to get through to him. She wasn't sure what their kidnappers had done to him or what he was imagining, but she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he would not attack her if he actually realized it was her. And she had been right.

"Haruhi?" He blinked and tried to focus. The pitch black inkiness filling the room did not allow him to see with his eyes, however, the voice calling out to him could only belong to his kohai. "Thank goodness!" He still couldn't think very well and wasn't sure what he had done, but if she was off the bed, then she was free and they could escape. She would be safe, she would be all right, and she would not have to live this nightmare any longer. It was as if the adrenaline that had been spurring him on instantly left him. He no longer had any strength and fell on top of the woman beneath him. How had he ever mistaken her for a male student? As he lay on top of her, he could feel every curve; and he remembered thinking the same thing earlier when he dragged himself across her body on the bed. Her body felt nice under him, and with that thought, he started to close his eyes again.

"Senpai?" When she didn't get a response, she called out again, "Senpai!" His breathing was starting to even out against her neck. "Please senpai. We need to get out of here!"

Haruhi knew she had three options: she could drag him out of there with her, leave him behind, or stay with him until she could rouse him, challenging the clock in hopes that their captors would not return. She couldn't leave him. Not in his current condition, and not with these people. It wouldn't be right. They were in this together and they would get out of it together! Staying any longer than necessary did not seem like a viable option either. Who knew how long they had been there or when those bastards would return? Their best option was to leave now, and if that meant she had to carry the cat worshipper, then so be it – although, it was times like these she had done more to get in better shape physically…or that Mori and Hunny were here because she had a feeling neither one of them would have a problem carrying Nekozawa.

Taking in a few deep breaths, she placed her palms flat against his chest and pushed. A grunt of exertion escaped her mouth, but other than that, she released no sound. Her efforts got him off of her and onto his back on the side of her. She was already breathing hard, but she would not give up. They had to get out of this.

Before she picked him up, she tested the door knob. They hadn't locked it. Their kidnappers probably felt that the two captives were not a threat and could not escape. And if Haruhi were still tied up, that might actually be the case, but she was no longer bound and that changed things a bit. She didn't have the physical capacity, skill, or knowledge on how to fight – she would be asking Hunny, Chika, Mori, and Satoshi for lessons as soon as she got out of this mess – and that meant, she needed to depend on her imagination and brain. Okay, probably more of her brain and less of her imagination, but she was an intelligent woman and she could think her way out of this; and besides, she had spent enough time around Kyoya that surely some of his devious Shadow King ways influenced her ever so slightly…hell, the others had their influence in her life (she was loath to admit it most of the time), so why not him?

Pulling the door open a crack, she peered through the small opening. The hallway was dark, but there was light coming in through a window. A full moon lit up the sky and gave her enough light to see. A camera hung from the ceiling on the opposite end of the hall from the window. There were two other doors and the floor was covered in cheap linoleum (she blamed the influence of the Host Club for her noticing such a thing). The problem would be the camera. A red light on it told her it was currently active.

The door was quickly closed again and she returned to her senpai; and not wanting to risk the light being seen, she kept the light to the room turned off. Kneeling next to him, she carefully called out to him without touching him, "Senpai? Nekozawa-senpai, we have to go before they come back."

He didn't want to wake up, but for some reason, he felt like he needed to. Someone was calling out for him and without opening his eyes, he turned his head towards her. It sounded like an angel's voice. Was he in heaven? That couldn't be right because he had to save his friend.

"Nekozawa-senpai, please. We have to hurry," Haruhi insisted. The last thing she wanted was to be hit again, but at this point, she had to risk it. Using all her strength – and probably a little more from God knows where – she pulled him up into a sitting position. Placing his arm around her shoulder, she tried to lift him onto his feet. He was too heavy. "Damn it! Fucking rich bastard, come on!" She wasn't sure what finally reached him, but she could feel his feet shifting and helping her.

Hearing her words and her voice, Nekozawa found himself smiling, "No angel."

"What was that senpai?" Haruhi whispered.

"You're not an angel."

"If you want me to put you out of your misery, let me know now. I'm sure I can manage to send you to heaven to meet the angels," she deadpanned.

In response, he chuckled. This was not the time nor place, but he couldn't help it. The girl so intent on helping him was crude, brash, opinionative, honest to a fault, and could easily put any of the hosts in their place with only a few spoken words or a look; and yet, he always found her refreshing and this moment was no different.

"If you're done, let's get out of here!" She growled under her breath and started to pull him towards the door. "Be quiet. We are going to have to be quiet and chance it. There's a camera down the hall."

"What kind?"

"The kind that records. It probably leads to a monitor system so they can watch us without being right here. Just in case. That's what Kyoya-senpai would do."

He chuckled again, "Ah yes, he would do something like that, but he would probably also have motion detectors and sensors along with a state of the art security system."

"These people might have all of that too."

His head still felt like it was in a fog and he had to fight the sick feeling threatening to overtake him, but he still managed to ask, "Was there anything else you saw?"

"There's a window at the opposite end of the hall from the camera. The moon is full so the hall is full of light. Didn't you see all of this earlier?"

"No." He didn't comment beyond that.

She didn't comment or argue further, instead asked, "Are you ready? We can't stay here much longer."

"One camera?"

"Yes. Why?"

"And you noticed nothing else?"

"No, but there could be more stuff out there."

"They probably aren't as sophisticated as Kyoya Ootori, so they may not have all of the gadgets he has. We need to find a phone or something."

"We can do that after we get the hell out of here!"

"Wait!" He protested when she started to lead him towards the door again.

"What now?!" She argued.

Shaking his head to clear it, Nekozawa mumbled, "Why are the words escaping me tonight?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I need to take care of the camera. Once it goes out, we will only have a short time before they come to check on us, but it might give us a little bit of a reprieve."

"What? You can't do that! It's not like we have a computer and break into their security system." If she sounded sarcastic, well she honestly didn't care because it was true.

Instead of answering her, he ignored her and tried to think of the words, digging in his heels when she tried to pull him. And then the words came to him. Closing his eyes, he spoke in a strong but soft voice, "O velikiy bog koshka, unichtozhit' vragov moikh oruzhiya. Osvobodite nas ot nashikh pokhititeley."

To Haruhi, this sounded similar to what he had mumbled earlier and she wasn't sure what he was saying, "Senpai?"

"We need to go now!" He tried to take a step forward and both of them stumbled. His strength was leaving him, but he trusted and believed in his power.

Regaining her footing, Haruhi no longer questioned it and moved towards the door. She peeked her head out and noticed, the camera no longer had a red light. It appeared to be completely dead. Surely her co-captive really didn't…She didn't have time to think about this. She would just accept it as a lucky break for now. "Come on, senpai. The camera is off. I guess the system is malfunctioning."

"Of course it is," he leaned on her and tried to move his body so that she didn't have to do all of the work.

They started down the hall towards the security camera, but heard the sounds of feet running towards them and instead started to make their way towards the window. Hopefully it would have a fire escape or be on ground level. Their luck was not so good. No fire escape and they were pretty high up. Beneath them, water. Either a lake or the ocean. With the window closed, there was no way to know for sure.

Propping her friend against the wall, Haruhi tried to open the window, but it wouldn't budge. Their freedom lay on the other side and the window was stuck. Slamming her hand against it, she could hear the footsteps getting closer, their freedom escaping. She wanted to scream, but she didn't want to bring their captors to them any faster than necessary. "It's stuck," she whimpered. This was too much!

Nekozawa lifted his hand and pressed it against the cool glass, and then he spoke only one word, "Aperta!"

Haruhi could have sworn she heard a pop and noticed the window shake, but that had to be because he was able to push it and loosen the seal. Right? She would think about it later, for now, she tried the window again and this time, it lifted with ease. "Let's go, senpai! We have to hurry."

"Haruhi?"

She looked up at her senpai with a questioning look, "Come on." She had a feeling she would not like what happened next.

"You'll be safe now," he kissed her cheek and then pushed her towards the window.

"No! You have to come to!"

"I'll be right behind you."

Bending her body, she managed to crawl out the window and sit on the window sill. Turning behind her she tried to grab him, "Come on, senpai."

"Find help. You're safe now," he gave her a sad smile and then pushed her.

Unable to hold on, Haruhi fell three stories and splashed down into the water. It was chilly and it momentarily stunned her, breathing in a bit of water before she came to her senses. And when she finally came to, she kicked upwards. Her lungs burned, her body hurt, and she needed to breathe. It seemed to take a hundred kicks before she broke the surface of the water, but it had only been about fifteen; and when she finally breathed the night air, she could hear someone shouting, she could see the lights shining down onto the surface of the water looking for her, and she could hear the scream of her senpai renting the air.

Haruhi wanted to go back for him, to help him, but she couldn't. Getting captured again would only doom them both; and yet, she felt guilty for making it out and leaving him behind…even if he had been the one to push her out the window. "I'll find help, senpai," she swore and then dove beneath the salt water and started swimming again. She was in the ocean. Keeping beneath the water would keep her concealed and if she could get far enough away, she could find help. She had to find Kyoya because he was her best chance at saving Nekozawa. Pressing a hand to the place the cat worshipper kissed, her heart skipped a beat and she wanted to cry, but there would be time for that later. Now, she had to be strong and save him.

 ** _Elsewhere…_**

"Interesting, that bodyguard is a disgrace. He even tried to become a member of the Black Onion Squad and we denied him the privilege. Now where are you hiding?" Kyoya scoured the reports he had received on the bodyguard. It might be like finding a needle in a haystack, but the Shadow King always got what he wanted.

 ** _A/N2: The first spell is Russian and translates to, "Oh great cat god, destroy mine enemies weapons. Free us from our captors!" The second one used on the window is Latin and means, "Open."_**


	8. Finding Help

**A/N: Haruhi escaped, but Nekozawa stayed behind. What is going to happen to him? What about Haruhi? Will she be able to find help? Will they be in time to rescue Nekozawa from the kidnappers? Enjoy the new chapter!**

Chapter 8 – Finding Help

Haruhi was desperate. Desperate to breathe as her lungs protested the lack of moving oxygen in and out of her body as she held her breath and swam under the surface of the water. Desperate to find warmth as her body shivered and grumbled about being in the chilly water for an extended period of time. And desperate to find help for herself and for Nekozawa. He had pushed her out the window in order to save her life and now…now…she didn't know.

Under the surface of the sea, she swam as swiftly as she could. Tamaki would probably be shocked that she was managing, but when she had fallen over the cliff and hit the water, it had knocked all of the air out of her lungs and she could not move. Normally a decent swimmer, her technique had failed her that day and Tamaki had saved her. She couldn't allow herself to succumb as she had the last time. This time, no one else was there to play hero.

Was she far enough away from the warehouse she had been kept? Were her captors looking for her? Was it safe to surface and find a phone? Where was she? Other than quietly surfacing for air every minute or so, Haruhi tried not to stay near the top terrified of what would happen if she did, but that meant that she could not get her bearings nor could she see if someone was following her, looking for her. She just didn't know if it was safe enough to look around, and losing all sense of time, she couldn't be sure how long ago she had escaped. It could have been anywhere from ten minutes to an hour. It felt more like the latter than the former.

Did she dare risk it? With the cover of night to shield her, it was probably safer than if it would have been daylight. Her decision made, she swam up to the surface and let her head pop out of the water to her lips. She didn't hear anything. No lights were sweeping the water searching for a body. She swam up to a wooden dock about twenty feet from her and hid under it for a few minutes trying to catch her breath and concentrate on listening to her surroundings. Other than the sound of cicadas and crickets, she heard nothing. Swimming out from under the dock, she gripped the side of it and pulled herself slightly up so she could look around. The area seemed abandoned. Reeds stood on the other side of the dock and the closest lights were far off into the distance. So much darkness, which she mused Nekozawa would probably relish. Tears stung her eyes and she shook her head and forced herself to stop. They would not help the situation or her friend right now. She could cry later, but right now, she needed to find a phone; and now was probably the best time to get out of the water. Gripping the wooden dock in a tighter hold, Haruhi bobbed one, two, three times before launching herself into the air and onto the flat dry surface of the dock. And then she lay there on her back facing the stars and breathing heavily.

She was finally out of the water, but the gentle breeze made her feel chillier than she had in the sea. If she continue to lay there, she might dry off, but she might get sick from being too chilled. Of course the same thing could happen if she got up and started to wander around in the dark, but only one of her options would get her the help she and Nekozawa so desperately needed. Turning over onto her belly, she forced herself to get on her hands and knees and then her feet. She was sore and her body protested loudly, however, those little aches and pains reminded her that she was still alive and no longer in captivity. Now she needed to find a phone so she could call in reinforcements. She would have to remember this exact spot so she could point out the direction she had come from. Although she might not know how far or how long she had swam, Kyoya would still be able to figure out her starting location – if anyone could, it was him – at least she hoped he would be able to.

First things first, she had to pick a direction, and she decided it was probably best if she continued in the opposite direction from where she had just come. Noticing there was a copse of trees about fifty feet away, she ran as fast as she could for the cover they would offer, and then started walking in her chosen direction praying she would find help or a phone soon. Taking off her blazer, she tied it around her waist and continued her journey on foot.

An hour later, she still had not found help and blisters had started to form on her feet, but she pressed on, her determination to save Nekozawa giving her the energy she needed to put one foot in front of the other time and time again. However, it was moments like these – not that they happened that often – she wondered why she didn't take Hunny up on his offer to be her personal trainer and to teach her self-defense. It might have had better endurance if she had. When she got out of this, she was going to call Hunny and tell him training was on. No more would she be subjected to kidnapping plots by anyone (and that included Tamaki).

Another fifteen minutes passed and she hissed with pain when she got a rock in her shoe. Sitting in the cover of the trees close to the road she was following, she pulled off her shoe and shook it, allowing the rock to fall back to the ground. "For such a tiny thing, you sure caused a lot of pain," she grumbled and tried to put her shoe on her foot once again, but it didn't want to go on. Her feet were swollen and hurting and her shoe and appendage were protesting her treatment of them. She didn't care though, her shoe needed to be on her foot so she could continue her search for help.

The fight with the tight fitting leather lasted longer than she thought it should, even longer than she thought possible, but she finally managed to force the shoe on her foot, and then she started walking. Her gait was a little slower and her limp more pronounced, however, the only thing that mattered to her was that she move forward. And every time she saw the lights of a car or heard voices in the distance, she would dive to the ground, hoping the tall grass hid her form. Some of the passersby or voices could possibly be someone willing to help her, but they could also be her enemy, and she was not willing to take the risk.

That is until…

An expensive Mercedes stopped fifty feet ahead of her and she ducked for cover once again. She had heard the engine in the distance and turned to glance over her shoulder, seeing the headlights in the far distance. Shifting to the side so she could get a better look at who would be driving that car in the middle of nowhere, she hissed as she put more pressure on her right hand. Both of her hands and knees were cut and scraped from diving to the ground, but she didn't care. It was all about survival now. Cuts, bruises, and blisters would heal with time…something she didn't have much of at the moment.

Two more cars pulled up, one coming in each direction, and Haruhi buried her face in the dirt in her attempt to get as low to the ground as possible. It was a voice that pulled her head up ever so slightly. She could see one of the men holding her school blazer and one of her hands immediately went to her hips. It had fallen off and she never even noticed it. And then there was a glare. It only lasted for a small second, but she had seen it out of the corner of her eye and her eyes darted towards the blazer once again. Standing there, was a group of shadows, however, she recognized a few of the men: Tachibana, Hota (two of Kyoya's bodyguards), and Kyoya. An angel had finally arrived.

Groaning, she got to her feet and staggered towards the group of men, holding her hands outstretched in front of her. "Kyoya?" God, she hoped she was not hallucinating any of this.

The men heard the rustling and then the moan of something. Spinning around, they watched at what appeared to be a zombie stumble towards them, and they drew their guns. It might have ended a moment later if it wasn't for their employer holding up his hand and saying, "Hold your fire." Kyoya took a couple steps in the direction of the zombie-like person and gasped, "Haruhi?" He rushed to her side and called out, "Tachibana, a blanket!" His arms wrapped around her in order to support her, "Haruhi?"

"I found you. I found help," she was so happy, she was crying with joy…and maybe a slight bit of pain.

"Yes, you found me," he told her. His eyes moved over her body from the top of her head down to her feet, and what he could see was not good. She was covered in dirt and the way she walked told him her feet were injured. Her pants were torn and her knees bloody, blood made the material look wet and darker than they had before. He would need to let her go and get her to a place where there was more light in order to see the extent of her injuries…and after he did that, he would make whomever did this to her pay for his/her actions, but first, "Haruhi, how did you escape? Where's Nekozawa-senpai? Did he make it out with you?"

Her head shook sadly, "He…He pushed me out the window so I could escape. He said I was free now and to get help. They…They tortured him and when I got out, I heard him scream. We have to save him."

"We will. I promise you we will, but I need to know where you were."

She hung her head, "I-I-I don't know. I fell out of a window and swam for a while before getting out on a pier."

Handing the blanket to his master, Tachibana said, "We need to get her out of here."

"I agree," Kyoya nodded and scooped her up in his arms. He wanted to take her to the hospital, but then she would be unable to give them a clue as to her location of captivity, and time was still of the essence. Now that Haruhi had escaped, it was more than likely the kidnappers would escalate their plans…and Kyoya had a feeling they never meant to return Nekozawa alive in the first place.

Setting her in the car gently, Kyoya asked, "Haruhi, which direction do we need to go to find the kidnappers?"

She turned her head different ways to get her bearings and then pointed in front of her, "That way. I was walking in the opposite direction. The pier is that way and so is the warehouse."

"Did you say warehouse? Did you notice anything? Lights or landmarks?"

"There were lights in the distance, but this was the only one I noticed."

"Anything else?"

"It kind of smelled like fish, but it was on the ocean, so I figured there fishing boats or something near." Her eyes started to get heavy.

Shaking her, Kyoya ordered her, "Haruhi, I need you to stay awake a little longer."

"Kyoya?"

"What?"

"We need to save Nekozawa-senpai."

"We will Haruhi. I promise, but in order to do so, I need your help." To his men, he instructed, "Follow us in the other cars. Haruhi should be able to lead us in the right direction. Once we find this pier, we'll call the other men. The Black Onion Squad should be on alert and ready to move at a moment's notice."

"Hai!" His men agreed and scrambled to get in the cars and follow their leader.

 ** _Back at the kidnapper's base…_**

Tanaka fell to the floor, his head hitting the wall, and he grabbed his cheek. His employer was not happy with the recent escape of one of their prisoners.

"So, you allowed him to escape and he could very well lead someone here?" The masked man growled.

"NO! I'm sure he's dead. The water is cold and he fell backwards from the third floor. His body was probably swept away with the currents," Tanaka tried to talk his way out of his situation and protect himself from his employer's wrath.

"You really believe that? You are an idiot if you really believe that. Not only did you let one of them escape, but he might have gotten us even more than Umehito Nekozawa. A distant cousin of the imperial family would probably fetch a high price, and although they don't hold any more power, I'm sure the prime minister would have worked with us on his return." He paused and waited for Tanaka to get to his feet before he hit him again, "And now that boy might lead others here!"

"We can move to another location."

"Oh, we can….and we will, but you won't," pulling out a gun, he shot the former bodyguard in the head and then bellowed, "We're moving to the backup location! Get the prisoner!"

Nekozawa's leg was broken and his arm hung at a funny angle, but he was still conscious…by some sort of miracle. After they had discovered Haruhi's escape, he had been beaten and choked – finger prints marked his long neck – but he refused to say anything about the young woman. And now that she was gone, he knew the possibility of them leaving this location was high, and he had been right. Forcing himself to remain conscious and alert with his eyes closed, he started to mumble words under his breath, his fingers twitching and moving weaving different designs in the air – of course to anyone else, he was breathing, unconscious, and his finger were just twitching probably from nerve or muscle damage. They paid him no heed. To him though – if the spell worked – it would lead Haruhi right to him. No one else would be able to see the trail, and he could only pray it worked and Haruhi would be with whomever she had found to help because if not, he would be dead soon.


	9. Spirit Cat

**A/N: Haruhi found Kyoya, but Nekozawa is still a prisoner. Will they find him in time? You know me, I'm a sucker for happy endings. That doesn't mean he won't be tortured a little more. Enjoy!**

Chapter 9 – Spirit Cat

Finding the pier had been easy, and a task accomplished within minutes instead of the hour plus Haruhi had been walking in her search for assistance. Her lids felt heavy and she was so tired, but she couldn't sleep – not for lack of want. She wanted to close her eyes and allow herself to float into the abyss, however, Kyoya kept waking her up and asking questions. Why wasn't she allowed to sleep?

"Haruhi, open your eyes. Which way from here?" Kyoya pressured her to wake up and give him answers.

Her eye lids lifting, she scanned the area and saw a small pier with very little light making it seem as if it was otherworldly. Way? What was happening? And then she was fully alert. Somehow, for some reason, all fatigue suddenly left her and she heard something, "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what? Haruhi, I know you're hurt and tired, but we have to find Nekozawa-senpai and you are the only one that can lead us to him."

 _"_ _Haruhi, hurry!"_

"There it is again!" Haruhi exclaimed.

For the first time in his life, the Shadow King worried for the only female host's sanity…normally he only questioned that of Tamaki or the twins. "Haruhi, what are you talking about?"

 _"_ _Hurry. There's not much time!"_

She turned her head this way and that, but she saw nothing. "Didn't you hear that? It was Nekozawa-senpai!" Her gaze fell onto one of her closest friends and she insisted, "I'm not going crazy. I hear him!"

If there was anything Kyoya had learned in his dealings with Umehito Nekozawa, it was to never underestimate him. Although not one to normally believe in supernatural powers, he had seen too many weird things around the former Black Magic Club president to doubt anything when it concerned him. "What are you hearing?" He asked her in all seriousness.

"He's telling me to hurry. Where is he? It sounds like he's right here!" She continued to look around in hopes of finding the senpai she left behind.

Grabbing her shoulders, Kyoya told her, "Haruhi, I need you to focus. Which way do we need to go to find Nekozawa-senpai?" Up ahead, the road forked into two. On one side, the ocean sat, and on the other, a tributary that fed the ocean. Haruhi could have come from either side.

"I just know it was that way. I just swam, following the current."

"Was it a strong current or weak?"

"I…I think strong, but I'm not sure. It's that way!" She pointed in the direction they were headed. Wasn't that the only way they could go?

"Less than a mile up ahead is a fork, I need to know if we follow the ocean or we follow the tributary."

"I…I…" She didn't know. How was she supposed to find Nekozawa when she didn't even know where she came from? When she was swimming to escape, she only worried about escaping and staying out of sight. Why hadn't she focused on her surroundings more?

 _"_ _Follow my voice. I will show you."_

She wasn't sure why she could hear Nekozawa's voice or why she felt suddenly alert and able, but something inside her told her she would find the way, "Go straight until we get to the Fork and I'll tell you where to go then." If she was wrong… No, she wouldn't let herself think like that.

Driving slowly, they crept closer and closer to the fork. Kyoya wasn't sure if Haruhi could actually lead him to where she had been taken, however, he had no other choice. According to his research, there were at least four different locations they could have been taken, two lie on the ocean side, one on a mountain, and one on the tributary side. They had found Haruhi while making their way to the three waterfront properties, and Kyoya had others checking the mountain. The tributary was man made and had been built to help with irrigation for an old village that no longer stood. It had served its purpose then, but now a couple of abandoned building lined its waterway, fishing companies who would process fish for canning. Out of the way and yet still close to the water, it tended to save money; however, out of the way did not guaranty success. Many times they had been shut down for health violations or something else…and Tanaka's family owned at least one of the buildings that had been used for such things. OF course, it was always a possibility that Haruhi and Nekozawa had not been kept at any of these locations, since the kidnappers had to have known they would be searched first.

The closer they got to the fork, the more uncertain Haruhi would be able to lead them, "Haruhi?"

Her eyes moved back and forth searching for some sort of clue that would set her in the right direction, but darkness greeted her everywhere, and just when the cars were about to stop at the fork, a tan cat appeared out of nowhere. It was almost glowing, and she knew instinctively to follow him. "The cat! Follow it!"

"Haruhi?"

"I know it sounds crazy, Kyoya, but he will lead us to Nekozawa."

It wasn't the fact she was telling them to follow a cat so much considering they were in the process of trying to save Nekozawa…the problem lie in the fact that he couldn't see a cat. He asked his driver, "Sudo?"

"Sorry sir, but what cat?" The driver responded with his own question.

Pointing, she said, "That one! The one that kind of looks like Beelzenef!"

Once she said that, Kyoya no longer questioned it, "We can't see it. Which way is it going?"

"It's across the bridge."

"Sudo, follow the road along the ocean side." Kyoya's gut had told him that would be the way, but since it was the ocean, it meant that there were more escape routes. "Haruhi, keep an eye on the cat and tell us which way to go." Time was of the essence and if Haruhi saw a cat that reminded her of that damned puppet, he would go with it for now.

"Hai!" Sudo agreed and slowly crossed the bridge over the tributary.

Ahead of them the cat started to run, and when he turned, Haruhi told the driver to turn. Fifteen minutes later, Haruhi questioned her sanity, "Why are we going this way? I know we were right on the water!"

Kyoya pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "They have probably moved him and we are going to his new location."

"He's moving faster," she exclaimed afraid that they would lose the cat.

"Sudo, speed up."

"Hai, Kyoya-sama," the driver agreed. He wasn't exactly sure what was going on, and he thought this girl probably had a few screws lose, but he would never speak that aloud for fear of angering his employer; however, this wasn't exactly sane. Following a non-existent cat to who knows where and taking instruction from a girl who was hearing voices, seeing things that weren't there, and up until right before the supposed cat appeared, seemed on the verge of fainting. It was crazy. Right?

They drove like that for another thirty minutes or so before the cat darted to the right. "Turn right!"

"I can't, Fujioka-sama. There is nothing but an empty field and no road," Sudo tried to explain.

"Go. If she tells you to climb a mountain, you do it. Turn right and listen to her orders as if she were me," Kyoya directed annoyed his employee would question anything. While it was true they were driving into unknown territory, they needed to make haste and uncertainty would get someone killed.

"Hai, Kyoya-sama!" Turning the car wheel, they turned into the field of tall grass.

Haruhi strained her neck to see the cat in the overgrowth and there was almost a moment when she thought she lost it, however, she quickly found it again, "Veer slightly right. I think it wants us on a specific path.

Sudo kept his mouth closed, but he almost reminded them that there was no path. And as soon as he followed directions and veered slightly right, the ground seemed harder under the tires. He also heard the distinctive sound of splashing coming from his left. Slowing down a little, he looked out the window and gasped. Glancing out the window to the right of him, he gasped again. On both sides was water. If they had stayed on the course they had been on, they would have crashed into a pond, or lake, or whatever it was.

"Turn left after the tree," Haruhi instructed.

Thankfully, there was only one tree and Sudo was able to find it easy and turn. In front of them was an abandoned house. Was he supposed to drive through it?

"I think…I think he wants us to park and get out."

Kyoya nodded and ordered everyone out of the car. The people in the cars following them also got out. On foot, it would take longer to traverse the terrain, but it make it also harder to spot their approach. "Which way Haruhi?"

"This way," taking off after the cat that had started to run, Haruhi could hear the others following at a fast clip. Her feet were killing her, but she had to ignore the pain in order to reach her friend…to save her friend. The heat of his lips still lingered and she didn't want her escape to be the last moment she saw him. She would think about the fact she was following a cat that no one else could see, later.

Out of breath, she stopped with her hands on her knees at the base of a hill. Foliage blocked their way, but the cat had jumped over a bush and expected her to do the same. "It wants us to go up." She received no arguments from the people with her, however, when Hotta tried to start up the hill in a different spot than where the cat directed, the cat appeared in front of him to block his path. He didn't see it, but Haruhi did, and before she could say anything, a tree limb fell, landing less than a foot in front of him. "Not there. It only wants us to use this spot," she called out.

Knowing she had to use this particular spot, she wasn't exactly sure how to accomplish it. Thick bushes stood in her way. They were too close together to climb in between, ergo, she tried to scale them. Hissing when she got more scrapes and cuts, but she managed; and when she looked up after landing on her face, she found an old stair case covered and broken with roots. Probably long forgotten, it was there and would make their climb easier.

"You could have waited for my men to cut the bushes down," Kyoya chided helping his friend off the ground.

"Look."

Turning his gaze to what Haruhi was pointing at, he found the staircase, and not only that, it seemed to be almost glowing so that they could find their way and footing. "The stairs are…" Behind him, his men were whispering amongst themselves about the glowing stairs. Even they could see them.

"You see the glow too?" Haruhi questioned.

"It appears we all do. Good, that will make our ascension easier," he stated. Pulling out a map and flashlight, he took a look at their current location. "These stairs lead to an abandoned monastery. We need to be on our guard because we don't know if that will be our final destination or if we will need to go elsewhere. Everyone be careful. Haruhi, you go first since you need to keep the cat in sight."

Before the group started to climb, Kyoya sent the coordinates to a platoon of the Black Onion Squad. By the time they scaled the hill, the monastery would either be secured, or the group would be there waiting for them. He hoped they would have Nekozawa safe before they finished the climb.


	10. Magic Can't Fix Everything

**A/N: For Haruhi's "guide" to Nekozawa, I had thought about doing something like a trail, but when is started writing it, I thought a cat might be better suited for the Dark Prince. With Haruhi and Kyoya on their way to rescue him, this chances are looking up, but will they make it? I decided to break the actual rescue up into two parts, so the second part will come next week. Enjoy!**

 **I hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween!**

Chapter 10 – Magic Can't Fix Everything

Pushed and thrown against something cold, damp, and hard, Nekozawa slumped to the floor that mirrored the status of the walls. With a clank, his cell door was closed, and the scraping of the key told him, he was trapped.

He waited until he the footsteps of his abductors had stopped echoing around him before he risked peeking at his surroundings with his one good eye. His captors had been brutal after Haruhi had escaped, and when they moved him, they "accidentally" pushed him into walls, chairs, and anything else that happened to be available. At one point, his face struck the corner of a chair seat, striking his eye. He had almost passed out again, and yet, he somehow managed to remain conscious. Who knew if his eye would be useful later? He certainly didn't. He couldn't open it, it felt numb, and there was liquid spilling down his face from under that particular lid. Tears or blood? He wasn't sure.

With his one good eye, and even that was swollen half way shut, he tried to get some sort of clue that would tell him where they had taken him this time, but no such luck. It was either a basement or if they were feeling particularly sadistic and imaginative, a dungeon…and it was as black as sin. Like his previous room, there was no light present anywhere. He was submerged in darkness. A darkness he once craved and loved, only now, it was lonely. Odd thing – a dark room making him feel like that. In the past, he had cloaked himself in black, even going so far as to wear a black wig over his blond locks; and now, he wanted the barest hint of light. Something that would prove to him that he was still alive, that he wasn't alone. But he was. He was utterly alone in that cell and he knew if someone did not rescue him soon, he would die. There were too many wounds, too much blood loss, and magic could only do so much to keep his injuries from killing him. Spells could staunch the blood, take away some of the pain, but they could never completely heal someone with life threatening injuries. A common cold, a muscle ache…those were easy enough; however, internal injuries and blood loss would kill him just as they would another human being. Magic didn't fix everything. It was something he had learned long ago.

He could easily remember how shocked the hosts were when they found out that he and Kirimi were brother and sister. The age difference is almost thirteen years. Of course, he also knew they weren't as shocked by the age difference as much as they were the fact he had a little sister. If they only knew that in between them, there was one other Nekozawa child, a little boy named Mikio.

 ** _Flashback…_**

 _Mikio had been born four years after his older brother, Umehito, and had been sickly from the beginning. Born ten weeks early, he had spent the first couple months of his life in NICU and there were many times, the family had been prepared to bury him. Every time he crashed, he somehow came back to them. Finally, after three months in the hospital, he was finally able to come home, and his older brother couldn't be more excited. However, happiness soon turned to sadness. Nekozawa wasn't allowed to go near his little brother because of germs and could only see him from a distance._

 _"_ _Papa, magic make him better!" The small Nekozawa declared to his father._

 _Getting down on one knee, Hajime shook his head sadly, "Not this time, little one. Magic can't always fix everything, but it can do many wondrous things."_

 _"_ _Papa?" At four, he couldn't understand why it wouldn't work._

 _"_ _I'm sorry, little one. One day he will be strong enough for you to play with." Patting his son's head, he stood up and grabbed Umehito's hand, taking him to his room where his nanny was waiting for him._

 _That night, the four year old crawled out of bed, trying to remain as quiet as possible for fear he may be discovered. Grabbing his cat puppet, he toddled to his brother's room and peered into the crib. He really didn't know any spells, but tried to say words that would be infused with all the magic he believed the world possessed, "Beelzenef, make brother better!" His hand with the puppet lifted into the air and was waved over his little brother…and Mikio woke up crying. "EEK! NO! Shhh! Mama and papa come in and I be in trouble." His brother cried harder. Afraid of what would happen if his parents found him there, he got off of the stool he had pulled over to the crib and ran away to his own bedroom. It wasn't until he dashed under his covers that he realized Beelzenef was gone._

 _The next morning his father sat with him at breakfast and returned the puppet and said, "Beelzenef decided to visit your brother."_

 _Afraid he was caught, but not wanting to admit to anything, he said, "By magic!"_

 _The patriarch gave his son a long look before shaking his head and smiling, "I suppose it was, but no more. We don't want brother to get worse. Right?"_

 _"_ _Right!"_

 _"_ _Okay then." He couldn't be upset with his son. Umehito thought he was helping and what young child wasn't curious about his sibling? He didn't agree with keeping the brothers completely apart, however, he also didn't want to upset his wife any more than she currently was. It was a hard balance to find. Thankfully, he had been the one to find the puppet and not his wife, Tatyana. Who knows what would have happened then? Before she appeared, he had kicked the stool under the crib and pocketed the puppet, restoring order to his home before all hell could break loose._

 ** _End flashback…_**

Mikio never got strong enough and passed away a couple of months after his first birthday. It would be years before his parents even considered having another child, and it was actually quite by accident that they wound up pregnant with Kirimi. Throughout the pregnancy his mother worried that the third baby would have the same problems as the second, but Kirimi was born on her due date screaming loud enough for the entire hospital to know she had arrived.

Magic couldn't fix everything, but it could help...and in situations like this, it could definitely save a life. As soon as he was old enough, he learned all he could about healing magic – most of it was potions – however, he memorized them all, absorbing them like a sponge. Spells that could be done without potions or herbs, became second nature to him. He never wanted to lose another person again. So when Haruhi had been taken with him, his first order of business was to get her out of there as quickly as he could. She would not suffer on his behalf.

The girl turned boy turned girl (in a manner of speaking) had escaped and had become his only chance at making it out alive…even if it was only a small chance. The odds were stacked against him, but he was at peace knowing she was not with him.

"Nekozawa-senpai," a voice called out to him.

Had he closed his eye? He didn't remember, but when he heard his name, it popped open as far as it could go. Standing before him surrounded by a small iridescent glow was Haruhi. Her lips were curled up in a smile and she wore her Ouran uniform. Did this mean…? "Har-Haruhi?"

"Yes, senpai."

"Does this mean you didn't make it?"

"I made it thanks to you. You have to hold on senpai! I'll come for you!"

The image faded away and his eye slipped shut once again. How had he not noticed she was a girl before? Her soft ivory skin, large doe eyes, and pink supple lips. Before he had pushed her out of the window, he had kissed her cheek. He wasn't sure why, however, he knew he wanted to kiss her again. Would he get the chance? Was she really coming or was his mind playing tricks on him? At this point, he didn't care. He would take comfort in the image he saw of her, of her declaration, and he would hold it close like a blanket so that he didn't feel so alone. If he died in this place, at least she would be with him in spirit.

 ** _Elsewhere…_**

Stopping in her ascent up the stairs, Haruhi grasped her chest and tears filled her eyes. Before anyone could ask what happened, her eyes found Kyoya and she told him, "We have to hurry. I don't…I don't know why, but we do!" Everything was so crazy. She was following a cat that looked like a familiar puppet, one she knew she needed to follow, and now, she got the feeling that if they didn't hurry, she would never see Nekozawa again – and that was not acceptable. She needed to see him. Needed to talk to him!

Kyoya didn't question her desperation and lifted a black box to his mouth, "Report in!"

"Team one and team two have just entered the compound. We are under radio silence with them until they are able to report in," came the response.

"Underground. They need to look underground!" Haruhi rushed.

"They will be checking all floors and that includes the subterranean level," Kyoya explained.

Shaking her head, she told him, "We need to get there now!" Without another word, she darted up the stairs, propelled by something she didn't understand. She had never been athletic or had great stamina, but she flew after the cat, and knew Kyoya and the others were hot on her trail.

The cat darted to the left and behind the building…and Haruhi followed without question. When the cat moved beyond the building and through another grove of trees, she didn't hesitate.

"Haruhi, the monastery…" Kyoya whispered yelled behind her.

"The cat isn't going there!"

Through the trees they continued to run until they came to the end of the tree line, and she would have continued to run if Kyoya had not jerked her backwards. Just across a small yard, was a small stone house, and two men with guns stood guard.

The Shadow King assessed the situation and silently gave an order to Tachibana. With a nod, he disappeared into the shadows, and moments later, the ground shook due to an explosion behind them. The monastery. Kyoya couldn't do anything because the enemy might be able to hear them, and all he could do was pray his bodyguard had been able to reach the team before they had been caught in the blast.

Laughter from the front of the house drew everyone's attention, "Haha! I guess those fools really took the bait."

Kyoya wanted to run to the monastery to check on his men, but he couldn't. He would deal with that in a minute, for now, his eyes met those of Hotta and he jerked his head towards the guards. Another nod and this bodyguard too disappeared into the shadows.

Haruhi watched as the men around her disappeared and she was left with only Kyoya. She desperately wanted to run into the house, but she knew she couldn't. She had to wait and right now, she hated that more than almost anything else. Others came out of the house when another explosion was triggered. All were laughing, believing had gotten one over on Kyoya's men, and it sickened her. She wanted to throw up, but swallowed the bile that threatened to spill forth. How could human beings be so happy about killing others, torturing other people? It was something she never understood. Her thoughts turned to Nekozawa. He had been tortured and injured, and she knew it was even worse after she had escaped. Somewhere deep inside her, she knew he didn't have much time left. "Hold on senpai. Just hold on. We're coming," she muttered softly.

 ** _Inside…_**

"Hurry, Haruhi," Nekozawa whispered before closing his eye and succumbing at last to oblivion.


	11. Save Him

**A/N: I know I said you would have to wait until next week to find out what happened next, so let's just pretend I met Dr. Who and the Tardis took me to the future. LOL. I actually fully intended to wait, but couldn't because I couldn't focus on my other stories. So here is your treat (or maybe trick?) for Halloween! Enjoy!**

 **PS…If I happen to do a Halloween themed story tomorrow, who should be the pairing? Poll on my page. You can vote until tomorrow morning at 11am CST. If you do not have an account and would like to vote, you can put it in a review!**

Chapter 11 – Save Him

It felt as if time was running out and everything was falling apart. Behind them explosion after explosion shook the ground and deafened their hearing. In front of them, the enemy stood mocking them, laughing at their expense…laughing at the loss of precious lives. They couldn't retreat because they could either be caught in the blast or members of the enemy regime could be circling back there to make sure everyone was indeed dead. They couldn't rush forward because they could be gunned down the moment they stepped out of the tree line. Their only choice was to wait.

Kyoya could not let his feelings undermine his plan. Tachibana had been with him since he had been a babe, and in several ways his body guards had become more like a family to him than his own; however, to rush after his men now would do no one any good. He had to trust in their skills and believe that they knew what they were doing…that they would survive. With Hotta moving forward, Tachibana at the monastery, only Aijima was left to guard his master since the other members of the Black Onion Squad followed Hotta.

His eyes fell on Haruhi. Her arms were wrapped around her middle and she was rocking back and forth whispering to herself. How much pain was she in? When they got out of the car to follow on foot, he had given her his jacket to wear because she was still soaked through from the water. On top of that, her ankle was still swollen and turning purple; and yet, even with that injury, she quickly followed the cat, ignoring the pain and running. She even climbed the stairs with that ankle as if it was perfectly healthy, especially at the end when she ran up leaving the others in her dust. When would the adrenaline disappear? It had to be what kept her going even in her condition.

Placing his hands on her shoulders, he gave her a small shake to get her attention. He had tried softly calling to her a couple of times, but she never answered him; and the last thing he needed was for her to lose it now. "Haruhi, look at me."

Slowly, she brought her brown eyes up to meet those of her friend's, "Kyoya?" Haruhi felt like she was trapped in some sort of nightmare. If she hadn't run off on her own…. If she hadn't followed the cat… If she hadn't… So many ifs, whys, and whats.

"Focus for me. Where is that cat?"

Her eyes darted side to side, scanning the area until she found what she was looking for. "He's walking through the yard towards the house."

While he knew this was Haruhi and not Tamaki or the twins, he still felt it was his duty to remind her, "Stay here and do not follow him until those men have been taken care of and the house secure. Do you understand?" Kami knew if it had been the others, they might run into a burning building if someone didn't tell them it was dangerous.

She deadpanned, "I'm here to save senpai, not commit suicide."

"You ran up the steps without thought to your safety," he chided, amusement lacing his voice.

"Well…well…"

"Well?"

"The cat told me to follow it and that it would be all right!"

He was utterly speechless. Unsure of what to say to something like that, he kept quiet and waited. There was something different about Haruhi, a steel in her eyes that had been absent before. This was something Kyoya had never seen. And he would admit to studying her intently in the past. He wasn't the only one. All of the hosts at some point or another held romantic feelings for her – even Hunny had, although, that didn't last long because he had found his soulmate in Reiko. And Haruhi couldn't be any more oblivious. Maybe she actually did know how they all felt and remained dense so that she wouldn't have to make a decision and break someone's heart. That being said, Kyoya was certain if she actually returned anyone's feelings, she would have accepted the feelings of another. He could also remember that whenever Nekozawa showed up in the room, her eyes would follow him. Was it more than morbid curiosity?

Feeling her shiver, he pulled her close and rubbed a hand up and down her back. Her lips were starting to turn blue and he needed to get her warm as soon as possible or else, but not yet. Not because he didn't know where Nekozawa was now, it was because if he tried to get her to leave, she would fight him.

"Kami!" Haruhi gasped, her eyes growing large before burying her face in Kyoya's shoulder.

"What is it?!" The Shadow King demanded. His eyes flew to the house and played witness to a gruesome sight. One by one, the men were flying into the air where they were ripped apart and split in half, and once that spectacle was done, the various pieces would rain down to the ground. The men were terrified and pointed their guns in all different directions, however, they could not find their targets. The last sound they made, a scream before they were silenced forever. "What the hell is happening?"

Haruhi knew. Haruhi saw it all. The small cat she had been following grew in stature with every step it took until it was half the size of the house; and when it reached the first man, it used its paw to swing him up in the air. Standing on its back legs, its front claws emerged from its paws and it used those to swipe at the person it had just launched, cutting him in pieces. Each man holding a gun met the same fate. She could hear the gurgling screams and then silence. Another scream and then silence.

The men didn't know what was happening. They were being attacked and killed by an unknown assailant. Was it the kami of the place coming to pass judgment for what they had done? Some of the men ran back into the house and then barred the others from getting in, forcing the ones left outside to meet their fate. They survivors would pound at the door, try to shoot it open, and nothing worked. And one by one, the number of survivors decreased until no one was left standing on the outside of the door. The yard was washed red with blood.

And when the last man fell, one last explosion rent the air. The parameter of the yard blew up, flinging dirt into the air. Mines had been buried to make sure no one would be able to reach the house alive, and now they had been destroyed.

A "meow" reached Haruhi and she shuddered, "It wants us to follow it now." She started to get up and fell back down, unable to control her shaking legs.

"Haruhi, you can stay here. You don't have to…"

Her yell stopped him, "I have to!" She sniffled, "Nekozawa-senpai saved me. I have to help him."

"How do we know that cat won't turn on us?"

"We don't. We just have to trust it." The scene she had just witness would haunt her forever, but she couldn't abandon her friend.

Hotta stepped out of the trees and walked up to the front door, "Fuck!" When everything started to happen, he and his men had just gotten into place to take care of the guards themselves, but if they would have tried anything, those mines would have killed them. Whomever had done this, had saved their lives and had helped them with the enemy.

He could hear a couple of his men retching behind him, and he couldn't blame them. The scene before them was worse than any horror movie, and not something Hotta would want anyone to see, especially Haruhi and his master, but it was too late for that. Wrapped in Kyoya's arms, Haruhi walked towards the house, and both of them were trying not to allow their eyes to wander.

Running to his charge, he stated, "Kyoya-sama, you shouldn't be walking in the open. There are men still inside with guns."

"With only a door and no windows in front, I believe we are safe. No one is going to come out after what just happened. That being said, how do we get inside?" Kyoya responded.

"There's a secret entrance to the sub level," Haruhi answered plainly.

"Haruhi?" The bespectacled man inquired in confusion. How did she know that? The maps he reviewed of the monastery didn't even have this house on them. Satellite surveillance didn't show anything but a copse of trees with a meadow in the middle, and why would they? The house was built into the hillside and also covered with trees. The yard from above looked to be nothing more than an empty meadow. It was the perfect hiding place…almost.

"The cat. I just…I don't know how I know, but I know!"

"Guide us." She had gotten them this far, he would continue to depend on her.

Crouching down to the ground, she crawled to the trees nearest the house and looked behind her to make sure the others had followed suit. They had. She weaved her way through the trees to the hillside in the back and then turned away from the house. Going about 50 feet, she stopped and said, "Here. Under the dirt there should be a door."

"Sume, Otomi, clear it," Kyoya ordered. At first he had been curious as to why she would crawl around, but seeing the side of the house, there were two windows, and although they were slightly high, if anyone was looking through them, they would have noticed people walking around.

Two men crawled forward and did as they had been told. It didn't take them long before they found the door they sought and pulled it open. The hinges were old and rusted, but they gave with a long creaking groan. Using a flashlight, they inspected the hole they had just opened, and Otomi said, "Kyoya-sama, it looks as if there was a wooden ladder, but it has rotted away and is in pieces at the bottom of the hole. We're going to have to use rope to lower everyone."

Nodding, the Shadow King stated "Do it."

The rope was tied to a nearby tree and soon everyone made their way into the black hole. Stone surrounded them and there was only one way to go.

"Kyoya-sama, Haruhi-sama, stay in back," Hotta ordered.

"But I need to follow…" Haruhi tried to argue, but was interrupted.

The bodyguard told her, "You can see the cat from behind. This is for your safety." If it had been up to him, he would have left his master at home and then sent Haruhi to the hospital upon finding her, but Kyoya was more stubborn than the other Ootori members and would not be left behind. Hotta had even tried to suggest that they return to the car while they investigated the passage, but neither of them would hear of such a thing, and Haruhi had even commented, "This entrance has twists and turns that should not be taken. I have to go." He had lost the argument right then and there because of she was going so was Kyoya.

Nodding, she finally complied and watch the cat from behind the group of men. When it turned, she would tell them which way to go, passing different branches that they came across. It was one giant maze.

It felt as if they had been walking forever, her ankle was protesting, and she was tired, but she forced herself to continue. And then she heard it. Faint at first, but she was sure she heard her name.

"Haruhi, hurry," Nekozawa mumbled in his sleep. "Hurry, Haruhi."

"Nekozawa-senpai!" She gasped and stumbled towards the place the cat had stopped. Bars greeted her and on the other side, lay her friend. He looked bruised, battered, and awful; and yet, it was the best sight she had seen in a while.

"Look for the key!" Kyoya demanded. At the same time, he thought, _'_ _If that cat can kill half a dozen men, why can't it open a cell door.'_

"No key!" Men responded after searching for the key everywhere.

A malicious laugh echoed off of the stone, "Of course not, because I have the key."

Men trained their flashlights and guns on the voice and found a man in a mask.

"I don't think you want to do that. You kill me and this whole place goes up…KABOOM!" He sneered, chuckling. Holding up his hand, he showed everyone the detonator he held. "You see, I like to win." His eyes flew to the two people standing at the cell door and he said, "Nice of you to come back. It saves me the time of finding you and killing you. Oh, or should I bow. I mean I am in the presence of royalty." He gave Haruhi a courtly bow, one more suited for France or England than Japan.

Haruhi couldn't speak. She was too afraid.

The masked man's eyes flickered to Kyoya, "Ah, the third son of the Ootori family."

"I see you are well versed. And who might you be?"

He threw back his head and laughed, one that gave everyone chills. "How about I keep you guessing about that. You won't live long enough to let it worry you for too long."

"Why? Why are you doing this? We didn't do anything to you!" Haruhi shouted, her hands fisting at her sides.

"Nothing? Quite possibly…that may be true for you two, but I can't say the same thing about the Tokarev family."

"Tokarev?" Questioned the girl. The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it.

Pushing up his glasses, Kyoya explained, "That would be one of the family ties Nekozawa-senpai can claim from Russia."

"Give him a prize. He is correct!" The masked man mocked. "I was no more than five when my village was destroyed. I was the only survivor, and I watched as my parents and sister were killed thanks to guns supplied by the Tokarev family. Once the town was destroyed, the Paley family bought it cheaply. It turns out oil was underneath the village. One family can claim ties to both of them. Do you know who?"

"That would be Nekozawa-senpai's mother's family."

"Correct. Do you know who actually owns the land now?"

"Tatyana Nekozawa."

"Correct!"

"So this is revenge."

"Yes, but why just take revenge. I want the power too. They will listen to anything I say because I have their precious little boy, the only heir," he sneered.

Kyoya stood there for a moment before he said, "It's too bad you won't be able to complete your plans."

"I do believe I will. I have all of you under my control," he laughed.

"Tachibana!" Grabbing Haruhi, Kyoya buried her face in his chest and dove for the floor.

The bodyguard snuck up behind the madman and sliced off the hand holding the detonator with a sword before the masked man could even blink. He never had a chance to hit the button. Catching the severed hand in one hand, Tachibana stabbed the enemy through the heart with the other. He was dead…or would soon be dead.

Falling backwards, the sword stood straight up into the air swaying back and forth. He tried to pull it out, but the blood made the blade and his hands slippery. He had no strength. His breath was coming hard and fast, blood gurgled in his throat, bubbling out of his mouth…and then he was dead.

"Tachibana, hold onto that hand. Hotta, find the key!" The Shadow King ordered his men as he slowly released Haruhi. She had seen enough and did not need to watch as someone else lost their life, or to see him lose a hand, blood spurting out of his wrist. Holding onto her shoulders, he told her, "It's over, Haruhi."

She nodded and then collapsed. The adrenaline that had kept her going was gone.

Before she could hit the floor, Kyoya caught her and lifted her into his arms with a small smile on his face, "You did well. Just rest now. It'll be all right. Both of you are safe now."

That day, they were the winners. Although four men were injured in the blasts, no one lost their lives; the same could not be said for the enemy. And when Kyoya called Ranka and the Nekozawa family from the helicopter, he gave them the good news. They could worry about everything else tomorrow, for now, they would savor their victory and get everyone to the hospital. Nekozawa was by far the worse off, and Kyoya wasn't exactly sure how he was still alive, but he was. His pulse was strong and he was breathing. Haruhi had done what she had set out to do, she had saved him.


	12. Waking Up

**A/N: Well the last chapter was a little more gruesome than I normally would write, but I felt it fit the story. I haven't had a chance to work on FF too much since I got sick and have also been attempting NaNoWriMo, but I am updating as I can and am putting all genres on the backburner to tell you that the new poll is up. You pick who Haruhi gets paired with in the new Christmas story. The poll can be found at the top of my author page. If you don't have an account, you can leave your vote in the comments. Enjoy!**

Chapter 12 – Waking Up

"Mmm," Haruhi groaned painfully before turning her head to the side and frowning. Her body was trying to wake up, but she didn't want to because the closer she got to a cognizant state, the more her body hurt, and she didn't want to feel or deal with the pain. But there was something she felt like she was forgetting. What was it? "Mmmm," she released another groan and then hissed when she accidentally jerked her lower body, her eyes flying open as tears fell down her face.

Ranka was at her side the instant he heard the first groan, and when he saw her eyes open, relief overwhelmed him and his own tears started to fall, "Haruhi? Oh my baby girl. You're safe and are at the hospital."

Safe? What was he talking about? Hadn't she always been safe? Well, except for Tamaki's hugs, she had been. "Wha-what are you talking about dad?" Her voice was raspy from disuse.

"Haruhi?" He hit the red call button so fast, he didn't even think about allowing her mind to catch up to the situation.

"This is the nurses' station. Is everything all right?" A voice came over the speaker.

"My daughter…she's awake, but she doesn't know…I mean she doesn't remember what happened!" He rushed.

"Dad?" Haruhi called out. Her mind was still trying to clear the fog and her father's yelling wasn't helping matters at all, and the amount of pain she was in, she just wanted to take a large pain pill courtesy of Kyoya and go back to sleep. Wait. Did her dad say she was in the hospital?

The voice over the speaker said, "We'll call the doctor for you immediately. Ootori-sama is on his way in now."

"Thank you!" Ranka returned his attention back to his daughter and started running his fingers through her hair, brushing her bangs out of her face, "Now, don't get upset or scared. Kyoya is making sure you and Nekozawa have the best of care."

She almost pointed out that she wasn't the one freaking out, he was, but Haruhi managed to hold her tongue.

"How are you feeling, Haruhi?" Kyoya inquired as he entered the room.

Before she could say anything, Ranka jumped up and wrapped his arms around the younger man and sobbed, "Oh Kyoya, it's horrible! She doesn't remember the kidnapping or the accident or anything like that!"

Used to dealing with a certain blond, who was currently being held by security in the basement after he grabbed Haruhi, pulled her out of bed, and cried over her unconscious body so much, her hospital gown was dripping with liquid. Ranka came in about that point followed closely by Kyoya and Tamaki was taken away by security rather beat up himself thanks to the redheaded father. Since he was used to his best friend, he could easily manipulate…I mean handle, Ranka. "Considering she has been unconscious for a couple of days, it sometimes takes a little bit before the cobwebs are dusted away." He focused on the patient, "How are you feeling?"

"I hurt," she declared plainly. She tried to move her leg and couldn't. Glancing down, she found one leg sticking out of the covers and in a red cast. "What the hell?"

"That one was Tamaki's idea. He believed red would be best since it is your rose color."

It seemed as if everything came back to her in a rush, and after a few minute of silence, she turned to stare out the window and asked, "How is Nekozawa-senpai?"

"He'll live."

His choice of words were like a whip upon a raw wound and she visibly flinched. She wasn't sure why, but she needed him to be all right…to do more than survive. She could still feel his lips on her cheek and she lifted a bandaged hand to the very spot her senpai had branded her. "Kyoya-senpai, were the cuts on my hands bad enough for bandages like this?"

"Indeed. By the time we got you back to the hospital, infection was settling into one of the cuts and it had to be opened, drained, and washed. You have five stitches there. Your ankle was broken, it was a wonder you could actually walk on it. You knees were raw, but did not need any sutures. You were severely dehydrated, your wrists were raw from what appeared to be rope burns, and your core body temperature was lower than it should have been. On top of that, you were exhausted, which given the circumstances, it is a wonder you were able to help us find Nekozawa-senpai."

"How is he really?"

Kyoya knew she always preferred the truth and he gave it to her straight, "He lost a lot of blood and needed a transfusion. He also had infected burn where it looks like they branded him, a dislocated shoulder, a broken hand and arm, one eye was swollen shut, a broken cheek bone, several cracked and/or broken ribs, and three different stab wounds. Most men would have died in his condition, but he's strong and he'll make it. We don't know yet what kind of psychological damage has been inflicted since he is still unconscious; however, his is medically induced and he will be woken up slowly. His hand and arm had to be surgically repaired and so did his cheek."

"I want to see him."

"He doesn't quite look the same right now."

"I don't care, I want to see him."

Bowing his head slightly, he said, "I will arrange it if your doctor agrees you are well enough to get up out of that bed."

"Who's my doctor?"

He smirked, "My eldest brother."

"Great, another Ootori in charge of my life," she deadpanned.

"Well, he is the best and we needed to be sure that you were taken care of to the best of our ability. When we arrived, Tamaki and the others had already been notified that you and Nekozawa-senpai had been in an accident. We have not explained the entire situation as of yet. As it was, that idiot overreacted to seeing you in your current condition and had to be detained. The others will return tomorrow and only left about thirty minutes ago." What he did not tell her is that as he was being removed from the helicopter, Nekozawa called out Haruhi's name and it had been the last thing his senpai had uttered.

She stared out the window for a few more minutes listening to her father cry. She could hear Kyoya shuffle him and drop him onto the small sofa in the room before walking over to the side of her bed. There had been so many things, things that made her think everything had all been a bad dream, but it appeared as if nothing had actually been a dream. Everything was real. And that meant so was the unexplainable. Her ropes came undone with a spoken word. The window popped open with no problems for Nekozawa, but she hadn't been able to get it to budge. And then there was the cat. It had looked so real, and what it had done to those men…she shivered just thinking about it, but in the aftermath, it had been the very thing to lead her directly to Nekozawa. How? "Kyoya, was it all real?" She had to know.

"What are you referring to?"

"He was able to undo my binds in order to help free me, the cameras stopped working, the window opened…the cat that no one else could see but me. Was it real?"

He chose his words very carefully, "I have learned that when it comes to Nekozawa-senpai, unexplainable things just seem to happen, and I've learned not to question them. You saw a cat and we were able to find him. We wouldn't have been able to locate him in time if it had not been for that. Why question it?"

"I thought magic wasn't real."

"Was it magic or simply a connection to a mere man?"

Her head whipped around and she hissed again, "What do you mean?"

He smiled and pushed up his glasses, "Surely even you've heard of the red string of fate."

"Yeah, everyone has."

"What if there is some sort of connection and it allowed your mind to conjure something you associated with Nekozawa-senpai? There are also explanations for the other things. He could easily untie a couple of knots because his fingers are dexterous and he is stronger, so a stubborn window should pose less problems for him than it did for you. As for the cameras, maybe there was a glitch and they never actually worked. They could have just been there as a decoy or scare tactic."

"But the red light…"

"It is up to you what you want to believe, but I have noticed that there are many unexplainable things in this world. Just take Tamaki for an example," he chuckled. "I tend to be reasonable and scientific, however, there are many times when reason does not apply to Nekozawa-senpai."

"So you believe he actually has magic powers?" She scoffed.

"I'm not saying that. I just don't think you should think too hard on it or question it when all of it lead to your rescues. If you want to think about it logically, there are explanations. However, if you choose to believe that something beyond science, reason, or logic had some hand in it all, then that too is acceptable."

"How is the patient?" Yuuichi asked as he entered the room and found his brother standing next to the hospital bed. He had heard a little of the conversation before he made his presence known, and now he was more curious than ever to know exactly what happened and how exactly Kyoya had been able to find both missing students.

"She seems to be in pain, but her mind is sharp," Kyoya answered on her behalf.

Nodding, the doctor asked, "On a scale of 1-10, what would you say your pain level is at?"

Haruhi sighed, "Seven."

After a brief examination, Yuuichi said, "Well, you seem to be doing all right. I want to keep you a couple more days just to be sure since it took longer than it should have to get your body temperature back up."

"Can I go and see Nekozawa-senpai?"

"Why don't we wait until tomorrow and if you are up for it then, you can go; however, I'm limiting his visitors at the moment, so I don't want the others to go with you…especially Tamaki Suoh."

"As it is, he is even banned from seeing Haruhi for the time being," Kyoya muttered.

The elder brother smirked, "And when will he be allowed to come out of time out?"

"He has another thirty minutes before his father arrives."

"I see."

Yuuichi looked at Haruhi and noticed her confused expression, however, instead of answering her unspoken question he stated, "You and Umehito Nekozawa are both lucky to be alive. Once you get out of here, I don't want you returning to school immediately. Chairman Suoh said that he will take care of everything so that you do not get penalized or fall too far behind in your studies. And since you did injure your hands, crutches are out of the question for at least two weeks. I want to be sure all of the cuts on your hands heal properly, but you will get the stitches out in another four days. That means, you will need to use a wheelchair for the time being. I understand that you live on the second floor of an apartment building."

"Everything has been arranged for her release," Kyoya stated simply as if it this was a minor detail.

"How so?" Haruhi demanded.

"You will be staying at Hunny-senpai's house. Both he and Mori-senpai have traditional Japanese homes, which means there are very little stairs. That will allow you to have more freedom than if you were to stay with another of the hosts. It has already been arranged with the Haninozuka family."

"Wait! What are you talking about Kyoya-senpai?"

"There are a vast amount of stairs at everyone's homes except Mori-senpai and Hunny-senpai. We decided on Hunny-senpai's dwelling since he wouldn't be afraid to…handle Tamaki or the twins if they happen to show up and cause a ruckus. His parents and brother would also be able to step in if necessary. Mori-senpai would defend you from the others, but they are less afraid of him than they are of Hunny-senpai. And I believe since Hunny-senpai wanted you to stay with him, Mori-senpai didn't argue."

"Wait a minute! Why are you planning all of this for me? Why can't I stay at my house?"

"How will you climb the stairs? Your apartment is also too small to allow much movement with a wheelchair. Your father has already approved the plan."

"Great. Let me guess another debt?"

"Not at all. This is just friends helping friends. However, your medical costs are being covered by the Nekozawa family."

"What? They don't…"

"Haruhi, they want to. Not only were you kidnapped with their son, you helped save him," Yuuichi interrupted. "Let them do this for you."

She wanted to argue, but she couldn't. The fact was, she couldn't do much with her leg in a cast and her doctor forbidding the use of crutches. She knew it was for the best, but that didn't mean she liked it. As for the whole Nekozawa paying for her situation, how did one argue when you knew you would lose the fight? You didn't. "Fine." Her eyes darted across the room to her father, who was now snoring in his sleep.

"He hasn't slept much since you got here, and from what I understand, he hasn't really slept since hearing about your disappearance," Kyoya explained. "He was worried about you. We all were."

Nodding, she remembered something she heard, "Kyoya, why did that guy think I was royalty?"

"Technically, you are, but not exactly."

"What are you talking about?" Her head was starting to join in with the rest of her body and was pounding.

"Your mother's family is related to one of the princesses from approximately 300 years ago by marriage when she married into your family. Once a female marries into another's home and takes their name, they are no longer considered royal per se. Therefore, when someone suspicious calls in to request information about you, my informant will spread fictitious information in order to lead the party astray. The best lies have roots in reality and in this case, it probably saved your life."

Sweat dropping, she mumbled, "I see." She was almost afraid to find out what else he had up his sleeves, but decided to leave it for now because she was tired and hurting. "What about the police?"

"We've handled them. You don't need to worry."

"I don't think I want to know right now."

During their conversation, Yuuichi slipped out and got her some medicine and slipped back in. Walking up to her side, he pushed the pain meds into her IV, and soon she was drifting off to sleep once again. To his brother, he said, "She is probably going to have more questions for you."

"I know."

"So she isn't a simple commoner?"

"No, she was never a simple commoner to us. She's special, but to answer your question, her mother went to Lobelia and came from a prominent family, and when she married Ranka, she was disowned."

"Does that mean she has relatives out there she doesn't know?"

"No. Her mother's brother was killed in a car accident and her grandparents died shortly before she was born. There were no other grandchildren besides Haruhi."

"Does she know all of this?"

"Doubtful. Ranka hasn't shared anything about this as far as I know, and she has never been curious or asked."

Yuuichi nodded again before asking, "What is she to you?"

"A friend, and that is all you need to know." In truth, she was no more than a friend. In the past, he had had a small crush on her, but soon realized she would make a better friend than a lover for him; and now he counted her as one of his closest friends, just behind Tamaki. She was someone who cheered him on, griped him out, and confided in him just as he confided in her. They were just friends, and if someone threatened her or any of his other friends, they would pay just like these kidnappers had.

Based on what his elder brother was observing, Yuuichi wasn't so sure about that; however, he would leave it alone for now, stepping back in order to watch and observe. "Well, I have other patients to attend to. I'll stop in and check on her before I go home."

"How is Nekozawa-senpai?"

"Stable, but that could change at a moment's notice. He had to have more blood yesterday."

"If we lose him, I have this feeling she will be devastated."

"I don't plan on losing him or her," Yuuichi proclaimed before exiting the room.

Kyoya looked down at his friend lying in the bed and whispered, "You better not." He left her alone to go check on Nekozawa himself, and as he gazed at the monitors in the other room, even he started to question everything, wondering how his senpai had survived the entire ordeal. For that matter, he wondered how Haruhi had led them to him, and how she had escaped. Everything seemed impossible, but then again, it was Nekozawa.


	13. Seeds of Love

**A/N: Well the poll resulted in a tie, ergo, a new one has been posted at the top of my author page. The tie was between our favorite Shadow King and second son. That's right: Kyoya and Chika. So vote on who you would like to see paired with Haruhi for Christmas. The poll will be up through the weekend and I will check the votes on Monday morning. Second place will get either a New Year's story or a Valentine's story.**

 **Ok, you guys have been asking for some romance and fluff. I will give you a little taste in this chapter and it will grow from here.**

Chapter 13 – Seeds of Love

He felt like he was floating through time and space. Periodically he could hear muffled sounds, but they never lasted long and seemed to pass by him never drawing him away from his peaceful bliss; and yet, he felt as if he wasn't supposed to be so content here…as if he wasn't supposed to stay in his cocoon. It was so comfortable here. He could relax and hadn't a care in the world. Maybe this was heaven. He wasn't sure, but here in this world, he had Beelzenef on one side walking alongside him as if he were a real cat and on his other, a small feminine hand had wrapped itself around his left arm. Haruhi. Even if she wasn't real, he didn't want to let her go. She settled him and gave him a feeling of being complete.

"Nekozawa-senpai…" another muffled voice entered his peaceful state, but this one seemed stronger, seemed able to pull him away from his utopia and towards it. "Please senpai, you have to be okay. I don't want to lose you too."

"Lose me? Why would anyone thing they were losing me?" He questioned and took a step towards the voice, but he was stopped by the hand on his arm. Looking at the other occupant, he smiled. Everything he wanted was here. Both he and Haruhi were here in this blissful world, and he couldn't leave her. Didn't want to leave her. Besides, he wasn't even sure how to leave. Periodically he would start to see a glowing light in the distance, and with it came an unease, a feeling that his body was not quite right; and as quickly as it arrived, it would disappear, leaving him once again floating and enjoying his unhampered world. Besides, he wouldn't leave Haruhi. He couldn't. Why? Why was she dressed as a girl? It was as if he was forgetting something important and most of the time it didn't bother him. He had everything he needed here, and that was that. As long as he had Haruhi and Beelzenef, he had the world.

Kyoya had pushed Haruhi into Nekozawa's room right before lunch time and had allowed her some alone time with him. Wire going from various machines to her senpai were everywhere, and he was so black and blue, she didn't know where it would be safe to touch him because the last thing she wanted was to cause him more pain. He had been through enough without her causing him more. Finally, she settled on lightly brushing his left arm.

She sat there for the longest time without saying anything and then the beeping of the machines, the hiss of the oxygen, and the buzzing of the automated blood pressure cuff overwhelmed her and she could no longer stand the machine filled silence any longer. Her mouth practically opened of its own accord and she just started to spew any word that came to mind, "I'm so glad you're doing okay, senpai. I was so worried we wouldn't find you in time, but we did and that's all that matters. I know you have a long road ahead of you, but…but…Please senpai, you have to be okay. I don't want to lose you too. I don't think I would have survived if it hadn't been for you, but it's more than that. I just need to see your blue eyes again, your smile, hear you talking to your puppet, or freaking out because of any amount of light. You have to come back to us…to me as a friend, as a senpai…as more." Her hand once again went to lightly touch her cheek where he had kissed her before returning to his arm.

Her eyes burned, but she refused to cry. Her body ached, but until she could no longer stand it, she would stay with him by his side. Her heart ached, but she didn't know why. Why was he so special? Sure he was good looking without his dark wig and robes; however, even with those on, he could command a room and drew her attention to him. That's how it had been since she was a first year because honestly, he intrigued her. There was a purpose and method to everything he did, and he didn't care if the twins pulled pranks on him with flashlights, he didn't care that people looked at him as if he were from another world or had grown another head, and he didn't care that people whispered about him behind his back. He remained steadfast to his true self at all times, in all places, and that was what she admired about him.

The feeling of gauze scratching her face again told her that she had touched her cheek once again. She couldn't stop touching it and it was fast becoming a bad habit. Was it admiration that made her act unconsciously? She wasn't sure. The only thing she knew for sure, the only thing she wanted, was for him to wake up and be all right; however, that wasn't going to happen anytime soon since they purposely had him sedated to help him heal. How long was too long though?

When the door opened and closed behind her, she didn't bother looking away from her senpai. It was probably Kyoya come to take her back to her room, but she didn't want to leave yet, "Kyoya-senpai, just a few more minutes."

"Are you Haruhi Fujioka?" A feminine voice asked.

Slowly, Haruhi turned her head towards the voice that had called out to her and found a regal looking foreign woman with blond hair and blue eyes standing next to a proud looking Japanese man. To Haruhi's surprise – though it shouldn't have surprised her considering which school she attended – the woman spoke perfect Japanese, "Hai. I'm Haruhi Fujioka."

Looking at each other before staring at the young girl again, the couple gave her a small smile and the man bowed low, "Thank you for helping return our son to us."

"Your…son…?" Her eyes widened. She should have known when she first saw the woman. Her son looked strikingly like her, "Are you Nekozawa-senpai's parents?" She tried to bow in her wheelchair, but between the angle and being in the chair itself, it came out rather awkward.

"Please don't worry about bowing. We are indebted to you," the man spoke. "I am Hajime Nekozawa and this is my wife, Tatyana Nekozawa."

Indebted? "No, he saved me and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for your son." Her eyes dropped to the floor and she mumbled her confession, "If it hadn't been for me, he might not have been hurt as badly as he was. I heard him screaming after he helped me to escape."

The older woman smiled and walked up to the young girl, cupping her cheek, "No, if not for your help, he would not have been returned to us alive. For that, we are grateful. In fact, our daughter tells us that you have helped both of our children. Thank you."

Haruhi didn't know what to say or how to respond to this praise. She had only gotten involved with the whole oddball plan to cure Nekozawa because of Tamaki, but it had been rewarding to see the two siblings reunited. "How is Kirimi-Chan?"

"She is worried, but I think she has been stronger than we have throughout this ordeal," Hajime answered.

Haruhi knew all about how strong young kids could be when faced with adversity because she had had to grow up quickly after her mother had died, "Kids are stronger than we given them credit for sometimes."

"That is very true, and I believe you speak from experience," Tatyana spoke softly, one of her brows lifting. After they had found out that Ranka had called Kyoya Ootori, they had done their own research into the other kidnap victim, and of course Ranka regaled them with stories of the young girl, and even explained why most thought she was a he. Considering the boys they had been discussing, it didn't surprise either parent that most of the boys had mistook Haruhi's gender. The students of Ouran tended to be a little self-absorbed and didn't always notice things right in front of their face. Then again, their son was one that still believed Haruhi was a boy, so what did that say about their own children? However, now that Tatyana looked at the girl closely, she only saw feminine features, but she hadn't been there on that first day of school when Haruhi dressed more like a boy than a girl.

"Well, my mom died when I was young and I had to help take care of my dad," Haruhi answered truthfully. Waiting only a split second, she asked, "What has the doctor said about senpai?"

Both parents' gazes fell on their son and the father told her, "They are still working to get him stable, but they are confident that he will pull through."

Did she dare ask? This was Haruhi, so of course she did, "When we were locked up and then after when we were looking for senpai, there were things…."

"Things you can't explain?" Tatyana supplied when the girl seemed to be having some difficulty.

"Yes. And even Kyoya-senpai said that most people would have died from the wounds Nekozawa-senpai sustained."

"My son's abilities supersede most others in our family, but then again, both my family and my husband's family practice…alternative activities."

"So it really was magic?"

"It was whatever you want it to be. Sometimes there are things in this world that cannot be explained. Some call it magic, some call it divine power, and some even call it supernatural. It is what you want it to be," Hajime answered cryptically.

She was saved from further conversation by Kyoya arriving to take her back to her room. The other hosts had arrived and it was time to face the music, but she just wanted to stay by Nekozawa's side. Leaning forward, she kissed his hand and then left the room.

After she was gone, Hajime and Tatyana glanced from their son to the door. Haruhi had seemed agitated. Could it be that in the midst of a crisis, the seed of love had been planted? Things like that had happened before, and it wouldn't completely surprise them if it happened this time. That being said, could it be possible they were looking and seeing something that wasn't even there? Did their son feel the same? What exactly had happened while they had been gone? There were so many questions and as of yet, no answers. Both parents wanted to ask a million questions today, but had resisted knowing Haruhi was still healing and coming to terms with things herself. They would not pressure her…yet.


	14. Visiting

**A/N: Chika won the poll by a landslide victory. So I will be working on that story and you should start to see the first chapter this weekend. I believe it will be 2 chapters, but I've been known to be wrong before about my counts. LOL. For this story, I want to say thank you to all of my readers and welcome to my new ones. You are why I write my fanfictions! .3, suggested a scene where Kirimi comes up to the hospital, and while I had not been planning to write one, I thought it would be perfect for the story. So that will be put in an upcoming chapter! Enjoy!**

Chapter 14 – Visiting

As much as Haruhi loved her friends, and she truly did, the last thing she actually wanted to have to deal with today was her friends – especially three certain friends. Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru meant well, she knew they did, however, feeling the way she did, she didn't want to deal with the bickering or the overenthusiastic personalities. And while it was true that Hunny could be just like them, he seemed to have the maturity to know when to back off and sit quietly…most of the time.

The moment Kyoya had informed her of the hosts' arrival, she cringed inwardly already picturing in her mind what would happen. Tamaki would shout and run up to her, crushing her in his arms. Hikaru and Kaoru would tease him, call her their toy, and try to pull her away from him – and considering it was two against one, Tamaki was surprisingly strong. Hunny would offer her cake and maybe cry, and Mori would pat her head. Hunny and Mori she could deal with, however, she was not up for the other three. She just...she loved them, but didn't have it in her to deal with them right now.

"Ready?" Kyoya asked before he opened her room door.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not especially."

"Then why ask?" she deadpanned.

"I was merely being polite," he smirked and pushed her door open before wheeling her into the room.

Bracing herself for the hugs of all hugs, she closed her eyes and prepared herself to be glomped…only nothing ever happened. Slowly, she peeled her eyes opened and found five faces staring at her as if she was some sort of stranger or alien. This wasn't normal. This wasn't right. Was something wrong? Did she have food on her face, did she look like utter crap, or was there something else wrong? "Hi guys," Haruhi spouted nervously. Maybe if they heard her voice, they would snap out of it. She braced herself again. Nothing came. While she might not have been ready to actually deal with them, she didn't like this. Tilting her head to the side, she asked, "What's wrong?"

"You…" Hikaru started and looked to his brother when he had been unable to finish.

Kaoru knew he needed to speak for him and his brother, but when he opened his mouth to say something, nothing came out. Each time he opened his mouth, he was unable to speak the words that were on his and his brother's minds. His gaze fell upon Tamaki who looked as if he was using everything within him to hold himself back - probably because he didn't want to end up in the hospital's version of jail again – however, if he and his brother couldn't speak on behalf of the group, maybe he could. Nudging the blond, Kaoru tried to get him to talk instead.

"Wha…Oh…" Tamaki's eyes turned from Kaoru to Haruhi once again. She looked bruised and battered, but unlike the last time he saw her, she was awake. She was awake and yet, he still felt shocked and rooted to his spot. Words failed him for the first time in his life. Never before had he not been able to say what he wanted to, never before had he been at a loss for words, and never before did he want to pull her in his arms and never let go as much as he did right now. The urge was so strong, but he couldn't move. He was frozen where he stood, and it wasn't that he was afraid of what Kyoya would do to him, it was more about the fact that he felt like if he took one step on his jelly like legs, he would fall flat on his face. The relief at seeing her awake and alive…caused his emotions to overpower him and his body's responses.

The shortest of the hosts was the first to step forward and pull Haruhi into a gentle hug, afraid of hurting her, "Are you all right, Haru-Chan?"

Haruhi could hear the tears in Hunny's voice, could feel the drops as they landed on her shoulder making her want to cry with him…and she wasn't sure why. "I'm fine, Hunny-senpai. Nekozawa-senpai saved me," her last couple of words were spoken in a breathless whisper filled with awe, her voice cracking ever so slightly. It was still hard for her to believe that everything that happened had really happened. She had been kidnapped and tied to a bed, and then her fellow prisoner ignored his own wounds and saved her. Just thinking about it made her body start to shake and the tears fill her eyes, but she still refused to spill them. "I'm fine," she repeated, but was she trying to convince her friends or herself?

There was something about hearing that small tremor in her voice that seemed to snap everyone out of their hampered state. In the next instant, three bodies flew towards her and a group hug commenced; and the force of them landing on the patient, sent the locked wheelchair backwards a couple of inches right into Kyoya, and they didn't notice until…

"Are you three quite done acting like fools?" Kyoya demanded.

"How can you say that, Kyoya-senpai?" Hikaru sniffled having started to cry somewhere between where he had been standing and hugging Haruhi.

Nodding, Kaoru agreed with his brother, "We're only comforting our toy!"

This got Tamaki hackles up and he grabbed the girl a little tighter and tried to drag her away from the others as he yelled – right in her ear, "How could you treat her like that?! She is not a toy! Mommy, I demand these two be barred from this room!"

"You can't do that, boss! Right…mommy?" The twins stated simultaneously holding each other and smiling nefariously.

"I am her father and I can do…!" His rant was cut off when another entered the room.

"Who exactly is her father? Hmm?" Ranka had just returned from gathering a few things from the house and heard the blond idiot starting to spout nonsense. His eyes narrowed in a murderous glare towards Tamaki, "Weren't you locked up for behaving like a baka? If anyone needs to be barred from the room, it's you!"

And this is what Haruhi had been expecting, anticipating…and her head hurt from being caught in the middle of it all. Was it bad that in that moment she wished for nothing more than to be alone with Nekozawa again? Maybe not under the control of would be kidnappers and killers, but to be in the quiet darkness with him knowing that he was there and they were together. Something told her that as long as he was there, nothing would harm her…then or now. "Stop it," she pleaded softly. Her head was starting to throb as the twins' teasing of their former president increased, Ranka yelled at Tamaki, and Tamaki whined that everyone was ganging up on him while at the same time trying to explain his position to Ranka once again. Everything felt like it was closing in on her, and she couldn't explain why.

Kyoya could see the beginning stages of distress on Haruhi's face and ordered, "Tamaki, release her."

"But mommy, our daug...I mean Haruhi doesn't mind it when I hold her like this!"

"Ha-ha! The boss got schooled! You got to let her go and we'll hang onto her!" Hikaru teased and tried to pull Haruhi away from the blond.

"This is just typical un-princely behavior from our prince," Kaoru joined in.

"You got that right!"

Hunny could see that something was wrong with the girl and cried, "Haru-Chan, are you all right?"

Mori had been standing back and allowing things to happen as they normally did, and like normal when things crossed the line, he would step in. Seeing the distress on Haruhi's face, he grabbed her away from everyone and gently carried her to her bed and laid her down in it. Turning back to the others, he said, "Kyoya told you to release her."

Adjusting his glasses, the Shadow King nodded, "Thank you, Mori-senpai. I believe we have already had this discussion, but no one is supposed to manhandle Haruhi. If you cannot follow this rule, none of you will be permitted to stay."

"We only hugged her like Hunny-senpai," the twins declared.

"Did not!" Hunny yelled, his fists at his side as he took a menacing step towards the twins, who then ducked for cover behind Tamaki. They would have probably gone behind Mori, but the way he was glaring, they were afraid of him as well.

Kyoya crossed his arms over his chest, "And then tried to play tug-o-war with Tamaki. Tamaki, would you like to return to your cell?"

"NO, MOMMY!" The blond screamed.

"Then start treating her as you would a Fabergé Egg. Hikaru, Kaoru, stop antagonizing him. Next time it happens, all three of you will not be able to see Haruhi until she is released from the hospital, and only then if Ranka permits you inside his home." The trio being threatened gasped in fear once Kyoya finished his lecture.

The thought of anyone treating her as if she was about to break annoyed Haruhi, and yet, when it came to this bunch, it was probably the best simile to use. If not, they might accidentally injure her more than she currently was. "I'm fine guys, really," she tried to brush off the anxiety that was assaulting her.

"Oh my dear baby!" Ranka rushed to her bedside, "Are you sure? We can tell everyone to go home if you aren't up for a visit today."

"I'm fine, dad," she reiterated.

To Kyoya's ears, it sounded suspect. So far the only word she used to describe herself was "fine", but based on the trauma she had been through, he knew she wasn't exactly "fine".

"So were you really kidnapped with Nekozawa-senpai?" Hikaru inquired. He, like the others, had heard that much from Kyoya, but the Shadow King had not fully elaborated on the tale.

"Yeah, and he is the one that saved me. If it wasn't for him…" her voice trailed off not wanting to go into detail.

"If it wasn't for him…what?" Tamaki pressed, grabbing her hand and holding it tightly on the opposite side of the bed from Ranka.

His hand felt wrong. His fingers were slimmer, longer, the nails perfectly manicured and clean. Nekozawa's hands had a little bit of black around the cuticles…probably from a potion or from being locked up during their kidnapping. His nails were still short, but they weren't as manicured, and there were little scars and marks on the back of his hands. Possibly old burns or wounds. Could Tamaki have untied the ropes that bound her if he had been with her instead of Nekozawa? Would he have remained calm and even when he was on the verge of passing out or hurting, would he have dragged himself to her and released her, thought about her before himself? As much as she loved Tamaki and the others, she honestly didn't know. She would like to think they would have, and yet, she couldn't say for sure. So many times, they were selfless, and then other times, they were so self-absorbed it was a wonder they could run a successful club. They were her best friends, dear to her heart, and she probably knew them better than most; and yet, she couldn't say for certain how they would have behaved in that situation. Then again, until you were put in a life or death situation – and she was under no delusions that it was anything but life or death – no one knew how they would react. If it hadn't been for Nekozawa, she would have been lost.

"Haruhi?" Tamaki asked in a softer, gentler tone.

"If it hadn't been for senpai, I don't know if I would have been found by Kyoya as soon as I was," she opted to give them a partial truth. It was true though. If he hadn't helped her out of the room and pushed her out the window, she was positive Kyoya might not have found her or him in time.

"What are you talking about?" Hikaru asked.

Kaoru finished on a snicker, "He's the Shadow King. Of course he would have found you. He was probably already on his way to you."

Hunny furrowed his brow. They had actually not heard about anything that happened. Only that they had been kidnapped and Kyoya helped to find them. The way Haruhi spoke, there was a possibility they had been found separately. "Haru-Chan, what happened?"

"Hunny-senpai, we all said we would wait for questions!" The twins chastised their senior.

"Nekozawa-senpai just made it to where Kyoya found me first. That's all," she answered without really answering. She didn't want to talk about what happened. She wanted to forget the screams she heard after she first surfaced from the water…those haunting screams. She wanted to forget seeing all of those men ripped apart. So many things she didn't want to remember; and yet, she didn't want to forget the feel of Nekozawa's lips on her cheek, the way his voice sounded as he recited what could have been spells, or soft look in his eyes right before they parted ways.

Mori could tell a bond had been formed between the two victims, but truth be told, he had seen something akin to intrigue in her eyes from the day she had first met the weird Black Magic Club president. Nekozawa was weird and marched to the beat of his own drum, but he was a good man. "Haruhi, he will pull through," he said in hopes of reassuring his friend.

"I know, Mori-senpai. I know," she couldn't quite meet his eyes and stared down at her hands.

Silence descended upon the group. No one knew what to say. Haruhi seemed out of sorts, and even the twins knew it would be bad form to try and tease Nekozawa right now.

"Haruhi," Tamaki was the first person to attempt saying anything, "We are just really glad you are safe again. I…none of us…want anything bad to happen to you."

"I know, Tamaki-senpai. Thank you," she replied.

Before he could say anything else, Kyoya announced the end to visiting hours...at least for Haruhi. She looked like she needed to process some things and having the others around, did not help her. Once everyone had said their goodbyes and Ranka had run down to the cafeteria to get something to drink, he asked, "Can you talk about what happened yet?"

"With them?"

"No, only me."

"I don't know. I wasn't there that long. Nekozawa-senpai was in there longer. He's the one they kept torturing. They never laid a hand on me. I think he was afraid if they found out my gender something would happen to me."

"Be prepared, the others do want to know what happened, but I warned them that if you did not feel like talking, they were not allowed to force you."

A small smile appeared, "Thank you, Kyoya-senpai." She snuggled into her bed as best as she could in order to find a comfortable position and then asked, "Senpai, will he really be okay?"

"They still have him in a drug induced coma, but he appears to be healing well and will probably be allowed to come out of it soon." He studied her for a moment and said, "His thoughts were of you and saving you. His last word was your name. I think he will continue to fight to get better." There was still that small bit of uncertainty as to whether he should tell her that piece of information or not, but it almost seemed as if she needed something…something tangible.

Her face blossomed in a blush and she whispered, "Thank you. Can I sit with him again?"

"After you rest. Do you need anything?"

"No. Thank you again, senpai."

"There is nothing to thank me for. You were the one that helped us find him." He waited until he saw her eyes drift close and Ranka return before he left her. There was still a few questions he wanted answers to, and the email he had been waiting for had just arrived.

 _ **In another room...**_

Nekozawa's body was hurting and burning. What was happening? He was happy floating and not feeling pain, happy with Haruhi by his side. "Haruhi?" He called out to her, but he couldn't find her. Where was Beelzenef? He was missing too.

"Nurse, there's something wrong!" A voice called out.

Was that his mother? No, it couldn't be, could it? "Mother? Where are you?"


	15. Lockdown

**A/N: What is the email? What is happening to Nekozawa? Will he be all right? You have to read and find out. I promise a longer chapter next week. Enjoy!**

Chapter 15 – Lockdown

It burned and hurt! The excruciating pain blocked any other thoughts. Haruhi was missing and he couldn't focus long enough to find her. Had someone taken her again? Had they found them? He had to find her! "Haruhi! Haruhi!" Yelled Nekozawa unable to open his eyes or look for her. So much pain. He just wanted it to stop. It felt as if he was being branded and stabbed again. "Haruhi!" He had to protect her!

"Umehito! Umehito! Haruhi is safe!" His mother's desperate voice tried to reach him. Grabbing his shoulders, she tried to press him backwards when his upper torso shot up, and she cringed stumbling backwards when he screamed in pain. The howl was filled with agony and torment. When she had been talking to him on the phone while he was under the control of the kidnappers, she had heard his tortured cries, but seeing her child like this, knowing she could do nothing for him, was a living hell for her. His wounds, both physically and mentally, she wanted to wipe them away, to make him forget everything he had been through, however, not even hypnosis would work to erase everything if he did not will it himself. And she had a feeling he didn't want to forget for no other reason than the girl laying in another room.

Not for the first time Tatyana wondered if it hadn't been for Haruhi, would she still have her son? Torture and a situation such as he had been in, was enough to break many people; and yet, he had managed to survive and return to her. She had the feeling that in the petite brunette, her son had found a reason to fight, and the fact that he was calling Haruhi's name just infused her beliefs that much more.

It hadn't taken long for the medical team to storm into the room as if the hounds of hell were biting at their feet. The nurse called out the patient's vitals as the doctor shined a light into the patient's eyes, listened to his heart, and eventually pulled out a syringe and pushing the clear liquid into the iv tube on Nekozawa's hand. In less than a minute, he settled down and returned to sleep.

"What happened?" Tatyana demanded staring at the doctor as if he were the enemy. He wasn't her son's normal doctor and she had only seen him once – the doctor on call – and now that this had happened, she wondered if he was the right person to be in charge when Nekozawa's doctor was unavailable or could not rush immediately to his side.

"He started to come out of the coma," the doctor answered simply.

Narrowing her eyes, she may have been seated, but she looked down upon the younger man. He appeared as if he were fresh out of medical school and did not have the experience to treat any patient, especially her son. "Coming out…? Weren't you monitoring the medicine needed to keep him like...like that?"

"It is a fine line we walk in the medical field when keeping a patient in an unconscious state. Given his injuries and such, we are trying to err on the side of caution," his feathers were ruffled and his pride had been slapped. It was something he did not appreciate.

"What does that mean?"

"When it appears that his vitals are starting to change or react, we give him another dose of medication that will keep him under. For some reason, this particular time it was not enough and he started to come out of his coma before we could give him another dose."

"So are you telling me that you are incompetent?"

"Dear, I don't think that is what he means," Hajime announced his arrival after listening to the exchange between the doctor and his wife. With him was Nekozawa's actual doctor."

Yuuichi Ootori stepped up to his patient's bedside and began his own examination before turning to the other doctor and asking, "What happened?" He had been on his way into the hospital for afternoon rounds when his pager screamed at him informing him of the medical emergency.

"He started to come out of the coma. There have been other times, but we were always able to catch it and re-medicate him, however, this time we were not."

"I see. Fujiwara-sensei, please gather nurse Usagi and come see me in my office so that we can discuss the patient's care." Yuuichi knew that having this discussion in front of the parents of the patient was probably not the ideal situation, therefore, he would wait.

"Nurse Usagi called in sick today. Personnel sent over a new nurse to replace her since we were short staffed. It is a nurse Osaka today."

"Osaka?" He frowned momentarily before schooling his features and nodding, "Then please bring her to my office with you."

"Hai!" After bowing, the doctor left the room grateful for the chance to escape.

Once the other doctor was gone, Yuuichi stated, "This will not happen again, but I do want to bring him out of the coma in the next day or two. His recent scans are good, his bleeding has been under control for more than 24 hours, and his labs are returning to normal. If it appears that he is struggling, we can induce his coma again, but I would rather wake him up sooner rather than later."

"Will he be all right?" Tatyana asked hesitantly, as she brushed her son's hair out of his face, coming her fingers through his golden locks.

"He is a fighter so I believe his chances are good, however, I am more worried about his mental state. Once we allow him to come out of the coma, I want a psychiatrist to examine him. He suffered a terrifying trauma and it is likely there will be damage done mentally. PTSD so to speak."

"Haruhi too?" Hajime inquired.

"While I cannot speak of her condition to you, she was in the same situation as Umehito. She just did not suffer the same torture or injuries."

Nodding, Nekozawa's father swallowed hard, his voice rough and full of emotion when he finally spoke, "Do we know what they endured?"

"Not as of yet. Now if you will excuse me, I need to speak with the staff about your son's care," Yuuichi excused himself and left. When he was down the hall and around the corner, far enough away from the nurse's station and any occupied patient rooms, he pulled out his phone, "Kyoya, we had a new nurse today and Umehito Nekozawa almost came out of his coma. I don't know her personally, therefore, I want you to check on it for me. Name of Osaka, not sure of her first name. I'm on my way to meet with her and Fujiwara-sensei right now." Even he knew his brother could obtain information before anyone else. His network connections were something to be admired…or feared.

"I'll call you back in a moment," Kyoya stated and hung up the phone.

Before Yuuichi reached his office, his youngest brother was calling him, "I'm on my way. We do not have a nurse Osaka in our personnel database. I have two officers from the Black Onion Squad with me. I have also received some interesting information about our kidnappers. I don't believe Haruhi or Nekozawa-senpai are out of the woods yet. In addition, if Osaka is working with them, our kidnappers now know that Haruhi is a female."

A curse escaped his lips and the eldest Ootori son snapped, "Hurry." Now it was up to him to act as if he knew nothing, and while he could normally hide his emotions, could he manage something like this? He had to. Arriving at his office, he found his door cracked open and doctor Fujiwara lying on the ground unconscious. Things were getting dangerous.

"Nii-san?" Kyoya rushed into the office.

"She isn't here and Fujiwara has been injured!"

"Shit!" Kyoya turned to the officers he had with him, "We're locking down the hospital now! You have the picture I obtained from security footage. Find her and detain her."

The officers moved quickly to do their master's bidding. Time was of the essence.


	16. Caught!

**A/N: Oh no! Who is the nurse and what is she up to? Read to find out. I apologize for my extended absence. Life plus Murphy's Law equals staying off of the computer and away from my writing longer than I wanted to. Enjoy the new chapter! I promise to bring back the romance in the next chapter!**

Chapter 16 – Caught

 _'_ _Control your breathing. Blend into your surroundings. Do not draw attention to yourself. Finish your mission,'_ the woman known as Nurse Osaka reminded herself. Her training had been extensive and she long ago had become a seasoned professional at carrying out her orders…and she would not fail this time either. Did a couple of doctors, one younger than her and practically fresh out of diapers, really believe they could stop her? Her? They knew nothing if they believed she was some punk off the street who knew nothing. She had gained access to Diet members, senators, CEOs, and other high profile people and nothing could be traced back to her or anyone she associated with. To the police and investigators, she was a ghost – an enigma – and this time would be no different.

Before the hospital had been locked down, she had dealt with one problem doctor and ducked into one of the bathrooms without anyone noticing her. Who would notice one nurse in a sea of nurses? A family hardly ever remember the support staff, the doctors were first and foremost in their minds, and therefore a nurse could move around without anyone thinking anything strange. But she had been prepared for the lockdown. Doing her homework, she knew the Ootori family was unlike any other group or family she had met through the years, and yet, they played right into her hands. With the hospital on lockdown, she could still reach her targets, could still complete her mission. And she would. She always did.

But she couldn't move around as freely as she had earlier, and that was all right with her because she had planned for this as well. Huddling in a stall, she carefully pulled back the long black wig she had been wearing and allowed her cropped brown hair free reign. Then she used her fingernail to scratch the skin around her nose until the prosthetic nose started to lift…and then she did the same for her cheeks and chin. Removing the brown contacts she wore, her steel colored eyes shined brightly. She looked like a whole new person. One security was not looking for. She only needed one more thing before her new identity was ready. Peeling away the picture and name on her badge, the picture underneath now matched her new exterior and now she was no longer Nurse Osaka, she was Nurse Karatsu.

"Did they really think they would find me so easily?" she snickered softly shaking her head. If anything, they were playing right into her hand. Too bad too because she had kind of hoped that these people would give her some sort of challenge.

Stuffing her wig and prosthetics into the metal trash bin in the bathroom, she lit a match and threw it in with the props. She had no use for them any longer, and while the hospital was distracted with the fire, she would make her way back to the floor where Umehito Nekozawa and Haruhi Fujioka were being kept.

With her head cast downward towards the floor, she left the bathroom and slowly made her way down the hall. Now was not the time to draw any kind of attention to herself. By the time the alarm sounded and the sprinklers had gone off, she was in the stairwell heading upwards towards her desired floor.

She exited the stairwell one floor below Nekozawa and Haruhi's floor and went to the elevator. Pressing the button, she waited in the small crowd of people who were also waiting on the elevator. Security came and looked at all of the faces in the group, and she could tell that they were comparing it to a picture they had, but when they did not find who they sought, they walked through the crowd and down the hall. People in the crowd were talking about how the hospital was on lockdown and they all wondered who it was the staff was searching for, and she smiled inwardly…smirking because they would never find the person they were seeking. She no longer existed.

And as the elevators dinged signaling their arrival and the doors slowly slid open, she stepped through them with a grin. She would win again.

Elsewhere in the hospital a man dressed in black fatigues was coming out of the ladies room covering his mouth and holding out a mop of singed smoking hair on his baton. What was once long and straight, now resembled a crinkled and melted mess. The hair remaining was short and mangled and the wig base smelled of melted rubber. Holding it away from his body, he turned to his right and found his employer, the very person he wanted to see, "Kyoya-sama, the fire was started in the trash bin. I pulled this out of it. There was too much smoke to inspect it any further."

"Kyoya, what are we going to do? Now we don't know what she looks like!" Yuuichi hissed in his brother's ear.

Pushing up his glasses, Kyoya responded, "I was expecting something like this to happen. Don't worry, she will not get away." This was a game of cat and mouse, and he fully intended to win it; however, there was always the real possibility that he would miss something allowing his target to slip through his fingers. Something he didn't even want to consider, and yet, he had to face reality. He did not know the true extent of his enemy's skills or if there were more than one person they needed to find. For now, they would focus on the girl and work their way from there. He only hoped he had put in enough counter measures that his friends would be safe and no one else would be hurt. Admittedly there were flaws in his plan, holes he could not prepare for, but he had to try…and no matter what, he would not show his worry or weakness in front of others.

Stepping off of the elevator on the floor where she knew she would find Nekozawa and Haruhi, she smiled a greeting to the nurses at the nurses' station and strode down the hall to the first room. Her main target was Umehito Nekozawa, secondary would be the Fujioka girl. Funny, when she first got her assignment, she had been told that Haruhi was a boy. How wrong they had been, but she would not allow that to stop her. Gender mattered not. The only thing that mattered was making sure she completed the job. Anything less would be a failure, and the group she worked for did not abide failure. She had seen countless comrades in arms killed because they had failed. Some just disappeared, never to be seen again. This was not her. She was the best and she would prove her worth again today.

Really this had all become a game to her, and while her employers were a bit nervous because she had started taking some unnecessary chances in the last few years, they never said too much since she always finished what she started. No one ever caught her. No one ever suspected her. No one would ever know how close they were to death until she deemed it necessary. She was the angle of death and she would pass her employers judgement upon the world.

As she approached Nekozawa's room, she noticed guards positioned along the hall and two outside the door. The key to getting past them was to act as if you belonged there, "I'm here to check on the patient."

The guard looked at her badge and nodded, "Go in."

She walked in the room without any problems and could immediately hear the machines beeping, hear the buzz of oxygen, and hear the hum of the blood pressure cuff as it started to tighten on the patient's arm. Her eyes scanned the room and she found it empty save for the one person lying in the bed. Drip, drip, drip went his IV. The liquid flowing into his veins to keep him hydrated, helping his blood move, helping his heart to pump blood. An air bubble could be dangerous if it got into the line, but with today's medicine, it was harder to do that than previously. That's all right though. She never really counted on that to take care of a victim for her. Sure it could be deadly and painful, but it didn't always put the final nail in the coffin. No, she would depend on something much more lethal. Pulling a syringe out of her pocket, she walked up to the bed as if she belonged there. Once injected, the deadly medicine would put him to sleep permanently and she would be gone before they realized it was her.

She checked the monitors, pretended to check the patient, and then grabbed the clear tubing and injected the concoction into the line. That done, she knew she only had minutes before the alarms were triggered. Turning around, she grabbed the door handle, pushed down, and…nothing. It wouldn't move and came off in her hand. She ran to the bathroom hoping that it connected with the room next door. It didn't. That's okay though. She had a backup plan. Going to the window, she tried to push it open, but it did not open more than two inches – only big enough for a mouse to escape. Was she caught in her own trap? No! "Stay calm!" she told herself and looked around the room, searching for anything that would help her to escape. Nothing. The chairs wouldn't do much and they were too big and bulky to lift to break the window.

Time for her other contingency plan. She reached inside her pocket and pulled out a small gun. Pointing it towards the window and fired. It did not shatter and break as it should have. There was a small speckling, but that was it. She fired again and again and again. A small hole was forming, but still not big enough for her escape and she was running out of time. The patient's blood pressure was dropping and his heart rate decreasing. He was quickly racing towards flatlining. _Bang! Bang! Bang!_ Still not big enough and then to her right…. _BEEEEEEEEP!_ Nekozawa was gone. There was nothing for it now. She grabbed the IV pole, ripping the line out of the patient's arm and rammed the window. She bounced back, the vibrations could still be felt in her arms. Again! Same result. That hole was mocking her, refusing to grow large enough for her frame.

It should have dawned on her that the guards had not come rushing in when the shots had been fired. No one had come in when the patient's vitals headed south or when the alarm rang out signaling his death. Nothing happened. No one came. But she did not notice or regard this nuance until now. She had been caught in the spider's web. She was no longer the hunter. She had become the hunted.

Static sounded over the speaker in the room right before a voice spoke to her as if it came from heaven – or hell – itself, "Surrender. The glass you are trying to shoot is bullet proof and shatter proof, and while it is not impenetrable as you can see, it will take more bullets than you have in your possession to do enough damage."

At least she finished her job before she got caught.

"As for Nekozawa, did you really think it would be that easy to get into his room?"

Her eyes widened becoming as giant saucers, more white than steel. Her body was shaking now from fear and not from the impact of hitting the window. The pole clanked on the ground when it was dropped. Grabbing the blankets and sheets, she yanked them off the bed and found a cadaver. One that had already been through the autopsy process and had been dead long before she entered the room. "No!" she gasped.

"Yes."

"NO!" She spun around and aimed her gun towards the door lock, where the handle had once been and fired. Nothing. Fire. Nothing. Fire. Nothing. She fired until the gun clicked telling her she was out of ammo. And she hadn't brought extra. Did not think she would need it. Hell, she didn't think she would even need her gun, but brought a small one just in case.

"The door is reinforced and cannot be broken so easily."

How had this happened? How had she been caught so easily? Her sensei's words mocked her now, _"You are getting too cocky. You need to stop taking stupid chances and make sure you take all precautions!"_ Maybe she did act rash, and if so, then this was her fate.

"You can either cooperate or we can take you by force."

"Try it," she muttered. She reached into her pocket one last time and popped something white into her mouth. The pilled glided into her mouth, between her teeth, and she bit down hard. They wouldn't take her alive. She had taken too many chances and this was her punishment. It was time to meet her maker.

Kyoya noticed her hand going to her mouth and yelled at the guards outside to stop her, but it was too late. Cyanide poisoning works fast and by the time they got the door open, it was too late. Their prisoner and only lead disappeared before their eyes. Pulling his headset and mic off, he threw it across the room, "Damn it!"

"You couldn't have known she would…" Yuuichi tried to calm his brother, but Kyoya rounded on him instead.

"I should have!"

"How?"

"Because what hired killer is going to be taken into custody so easily?"

"Some are!"

"I should have planned…"

"You couldn't know everything, but at least you got our patients out of harm's way!"

It still didn't sit well with the Shadow King. He had planned for just about every contingency, but not that one. Cliché as it was to use a pill like that, people still did it and he should have assumed it could happen today as well. Running his hands through his hair, he ordered the men in the room with him, "Secure the body. I want everything processed and I want the results within 24 hours."

"Hai!" Three men rushed out of the room to do his bidding.

When they were alone, he turned to his elder brother, "How are the patients?"

"Haruhi is in the room with Umehito. She seems less flustered when she is near him, and we will be waking him up this afternoon. His tests are normal and he has stabilized. I can't guarantee that he will remain in that condition when he awakens, but it's time."

"Let me know."

"What will you be doing?"

"Making sure we don't have another breach," Kyoya stood and walked out of the room. He needed more information and he needed it yesterday.


	17. Tick Tock

**A/N: Some of you have been curious about how the monitor system worked with the cadaver, and I will address it in this chapter. You will also see Nekozawa and Haruhi reunited – so to speak. Enjoy!**

Chapter 17 – Tick Tock

"So is the job done or isn't it, Afon?" A man growled as he swept his arm across his desk clearing it of the clutter. The man standing before him had given him the report that their hired gun had not returned and would not be returning. His frustration was rising with each passing second, especially considering the massacre that had been left behind at the underground hideaway.

One shake of a head giving his employer a negative reaction and he said, "No. She failed." Three little words. Those very words could mean his own life, and yet, he stood his ground, his nerves still and steadfast. He had lived a long life, had trained many, and did not fear whatever came next be it death or another apprentice. Maybe, like he accused his now deceased student of being, he too was cocky; however, when one had managed to live to the ripe age of 67 in his line of work, he believed he had every right to be a little full of himself considering most did not make it very long.

"No?" The first man seethed. "NO?!" His breathing was hard and fast making him sound more like a raging beast than a mere mortal.

Sounding almost bored, the old man reiterated, "No."

Slamming his fists down on his now empty desk, he ordered, "I want you to go to Japan and take care of this personally. Your student's failure is your own!"

"As you wish," Afon agreed and turned around to leave before pausing, his hand resting on the door knob, "I will give you the same warning I have her, do not become too full of yourself. You are still a mere man. Not a god. You can be killed just as easily as she was."

"OUT!"

Leaving his employer's office, the old man shut the door and allowed himself to sag against a nearby wall. Sometimes it felt as if Father Time followed on his coat tails, inching closer and closer…soon He would catch up to him and then it would be his time face the devil himself in purgatory. Until then, he would follow his leader's dictates. Funny, when he first joined the group, it had been a different time. Russia was part of the USSR and their once great country had practically fallen to ruins. He had wanted to change the world for his people…and then it became he wanted to take care of his family and kill the people who tried to hurt them. Becoming a cold blooded killer allowed him to do both, and once that was done, he did whatever he was told to do becoming nothing more than a lethal drone. Maybe he should feel remorse for what he did, but he didn't. This is what he had become…this was his own doing and he knew he would not stop until someone killed him or forced him to kill himself. Such was the nature of the life he chose to live.

But first, he needed to know exactly who he was dealing with. No normal person should have been able to take down one of his best students. So the question became, who was helping Umehito Nekozawa? He came from a powerful family and had equally powerful friends. Had something been passed over in their research?

 ** _Japan…_**

Kyoya's eyes were starting to burn from the strain of staring at his computer screen for hours on end. Periodically his eyes would drift to a clock or his watch in order to keep track of the time, ticking ever closer to the moment when his brother would allow Nekozawa to come out of his coma, and still he was no closer to answers than he had been four hours ago!

Conflicting reports were creating a mess of his information, and he no longer knew what could be trusted and what could not. The facts were someone wanted Nekozawa dead and somewhere in the middle of it all, Haruhi had been caught in the trap – an innocent victim caught in the cross fires…and he wasn't sure if he could keep either one of his friends safe. That's what pissed him off the most – not that he would tell anyone what he was feeling or thinking.

Silently, he hoped and prayed something, some small clue no matter how miniscule, would be found on their would be assassin's person, but initial reports of that said that nothing except the gun and an syringe were on her body. And the syringe had already been used when it was thoughtlessly injected into a dead person. Thankfully in that area at least, his plan had worked. She saw a body, heard the monitors, and a quick glance told her that it looked like her target. Based on her initial scan, it should have been Umehito Nekozawa, but it hadn't been. A body who looked enough like her victim had been brought into the morgue and Kyoya had decided to "borrow" it. It was easy enough to insert an IV into the arm, it didn't even need to be connected to a vein. And then it was only a matter of connecting the monitors to his computer and running a simple program to make it look as if they were connected to a live body. Anything could be manipulated if you knew how to do it properly…and of course he did. He was the Shadow King after all.

Any moment though another attack could occur. Who would the victims be this time? The same plan couldn't work twice, which meant he was racing the clock. Normally, the thrill of the complexity of the puzzle would have intrigued him, pushing him to figure everything out before last grain of sand fell, but now, everything felt like it pressing in on him, strangling the air from his body. Tick tock. Tick tock. What was he missing? What was real, and what was fake? What had been planted, and what was the truth? Somewhere in this convoluted mess, lay the line between fact and fiction. He just had to find it.

When his phone started to ring, he almost jumped – almost because he was Kyoya Ootori and he did not startle. "Kyoya Ootori," his voice clipped and concise.

"Kyoya, I'm on my way to Umehito Nekozawa's room. Will you be meeting me there?" Yuuichi replied. He and his brother may not have the closest relationship thanks to their father, who always pitted his sons against each other, competing and fighting tooth and nail to become the future heir, but he knew his brother enough to know something was wrong. Something was getting to the youngest Ootori son; and yet, he also knew that if he said anything, his brother would deny it all and shut him down before he could voice even one worry or question. That's just the way Kyoya was. His brother was more open with the friends he had made in high school, but even then, Yuuichi wondered how well they knew the person they had dubbed the Shadow King.

"I will be up shortly. Is Haruhi still with him?"

"Hai. She hasn't left his side since this morning."

"On my way," Kyoya stated before turning off his phone. The one saving grace about today, before all hell broke loose, his friends had left. If Tamaki…scratch that. If any of the hosts knew what was going on in this very hospital, a disaster of unprecedented proportions would be the outcome. While it was true they had all joked in the past about Hunny being a weapon of mass destruction, it could be considered true in some instances. Add to that Mori, Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru, and it was likely Japan would be facing WWIII against Russia – not a good thing given the current state of Japan's army…or lack thereof. And while it could be said that the Ootori Private Police force were great in number and incredibly skilled, they were a mere drop in the bucket when compared to the sheer number Russia had at their beck and call.

By the time he made it into his senpai's room, Nekozawa's parents and Haruhi were already gathered around his bed, staring at him, waiting with baited breath for him to wake up. Kyoya knew his brother had already injected the medicine into the IV that would help to pull his friend out of his coma, but that did not always guaranty that it would work the way they needed it to…even if he had been starting to come out on his own volition before.

Tick tock. Tick tock. The second hands on the clock in the room could be heart clanking away, taunting Kyoya and everyone else in the room. Each second that passed without Nekozawa opening his eyes could mean something was very wrong with him. Had the assassin gotten to him before they could stop her? Had she done something else before she came back to finish the job? Tick tock. Tick tock.

Nekozawa could feel someone or something try to pull him away from his happy place, his comfortable space where nothing could touch him. He had Haruhi and Beelzenef, so why would he ever want to leave. He was content to stay where he was, but then his hand started to tingle and warm. Had he been cold before?

Grabbing the blonde's hand, Haruhi whispered through the tightness in her throat, "Come back to me senpai. Please." And then she leaned down and kissed the hand she held. This hand, these hands, had helped her to escape. She needed him with her.

His body jolted and his eyes started to move behind their lids. Slowly, they blinked open and immediately he found the brunette of his dreams right next to him looking a little worse for wear. She hadn't looked like that before? She had been wearing a white flowing dress and didn't have bandages on her hands or bruises marring her precious face. Precious? Was she precious? She was and so much more. When he had nothing to keep him going, when he was giving up and despairing, thoughts of her kept him going and made him want to fight to live. And he had lived if the way his body felt was any kind of indication. He hurt all over and the pain was intense, but seeing her, looking into her eyes…he still hurt, but the pain was worth it. Everything was worth it as long as she was safe.

He tried to lift the hand she wasn't holding to her, but he couldn't. Groaning, he closed his eyes tightly and tried to quell it with his inner strength…and maybe a little bit of magic.

"Senpai?" Haruhi called out to him.

Slowly he opened his eyes again and squeezed the hand she held in answer. That was the most he could do for now.

"Is he…? Will he…?" Tatyana asked, sobs making it sound more like a whimper.

Yuuichi began his examination and finished before finally addressing the parents, "He has a long road ahead of him in the recovery department, but he'll make it."

Unable to hold back her emotions any longer, Nekozawa's mother fell into his father's arms and started to cry. She had come so close to losing another child, and if for some reason he hadn't made it, she didn't know if she would have been able to handle it. Losing one had been too much, two would have destroyed her.

His father, Hajime, held his sobbing wife and quietly let his own tears fall. His son was alive.

Kyoya itched to jump in and interrogate his friend, to find out if he knew anything, heard anything while he was a prisoner, but he also knew now was not the time. His mind was probably still playing catch up and trying to make sense of his surroundings. Anything Kyoya asked now, would not make sense to his senpai. He would wait, but he also knew he couldn't wait too long.

And as he stood there, he watched Haruhi and Nekozawa together. Neither had taken their eyes off of each other. Tears were flowing down Haruhi's cheeks and she did nothing to wipe them away. It almost felt as if he and the others in the room were intruding on an intimate moment between lovers. What had happened between them while they were locked up together? He knew something existed between them based on how gung ho Haruhi had been to save the blond, but seeing it reciprocated – even with knowing Nekozawa's last word before slipping completely unconscious had been Haruhi's name – everything seemed more real, more intimate. There was no other word for to describe what he saw transpiring between them.


	18. Timing

**A/N: Someone else is coming after Nekozawa. Why? There is a lot that is not known about Nekozawa in Ouran other than he is of mixed blood and is part Russian. I've always been kind of intrigued about the cold war stuff and Russian history in general. Mix that with my imagination and plot bunnies, and that's where some of this is coming from. This chapter will be shorter than normal, but the next one should be a lot longer. I'm going to slowly start shedding light on a few things. Enjoy the new chapter!**

Chapter 18 – Timing

Nothing could be heard except the _swipt swipt_ of pages turning, echoing against the walls in the small room. Unlike most of the people working for his employer, Afon was still old school and preferred to look at a paper file instead of an electric one on a screen. There was just something about touching the pages, flipping them over, and making notes on them with a pencil or pen that the computer didn't quite satisfy.

The younger generation, specifically the three people in charge of gathering intel for their group, had grumbled and rolled their eyes when he had asked for the file. One had the audacity to inform him that she had emailed it to him. Email? Bleh! He wanted a physical file and not something he had to carry around extra hardware for. That was ridiculous, and while he might admit that some of the technology of the modern age could be beneficial, when researching and reviewing a target, sometimes what could not be found on the computer was more important. Electric files could be corrupted, monitored, changed, but paper, that was real and could not be manipulated. Granted his file consisted of printouts from their research, however, he had not been born yesterday and knew how to do legwork before he left for a job. Until you completely understood your target, until you could get into their head and the heads of the people around them, the people they were closest with, you could not even begin to hope to succeed in killing. That was where his protégé had failed.

Information needed to be gathered from more than just the computer. In this day and age, people could hide things and no one would ever know. No. When he had been young, you had to cultivate relationships and sources, people willing to share information with you about anything and anyone be it for money, promises, or mutual benefit to a worthy cause. Although most of the common causes people took arms up against, had died a long time ago…or so they believed. Nothing was ever really gone and forgotten, and with Russia's current leadership trying to take their country back into the dark ages with the backing of certain prominent families, it was now up to him to punish the offenders and to try and stop progress. Correction, it's what others thought as progress.

They would all find out soon enough.

Closing the file that lay on the desk in front of him, Afon opened his desk drawer and pulled out another file, thicker than the one he had just got done reading. Shaking his head, he scoffed, "Kids! Ha! Doesn't know what intelligence is!" Their data included information on the Nekozawa and Tokarev families, as well as additional background information and how Tatyana could claim ties to not only weapons, but royalty. The idiots also included information on Umehito Nekozawa's closest friends, but that information was flimsy and one page at most. No, Afon knew there was more, and he had found it on his own. One page? The heir's friends could each have their own dossier. Even if he wanted to ignore the others, he couldn't ignore the Ootori family. Rumors had spread about them all over the world, about their underworld dealings and their need to crush anyone and anything that stood in their path. Their organization/family could rival that of his own organization, which meant this mission just got a lot more dangerous. No wonder his student had failed.

But it wasn't only the Ootori family. The other "friends" of the heir were nothing to sneeze at: Suoh, Hitachiin, Haninozuka, and Morinozuka. Granted the Hitachiin was more into fashion and gaming than anything, but the Suoh family owned property throughout the eastern hemisphere and had partnered with the Ootori group on more than one occasion. The Haninozuka and Morinozuka were trained fighters and had trained even some of the special military groups in Russia, as well as the private police force the Ootori family had hired. They could be dangerous.

The unknown factor in all of this was the boy they had captured, who turns out isn't a boy at all, but a female from an unknown, unremarkable one parent household. Nothing special about her, and yet, even he knew better than to discount anything. If she attended Ouran and maintained a friendship with not only the Nekozawa family, but the others, then he was missing something vital about her. She couldn't be a mere nobody. She had to be special.

And that begged the question, who was she to Umehito Nekozawa? They had been together when they had been captured and the information their small band of idiots in Japan found stated she had ties to the imperial family. Was she a princess in hiding? Who exactly was she? Staring at her page, which filled up less than half a page of type written words, he knew he didn't have enough information and his sources had been unable to find anything else on her. Something was wrong, very wrong, with the lack of data.

Afon couldn't let any of this deter him though. He had a job to complete, and by the way his employer acted, patience was low and he was running out of time. That did not mean he would charge the hospital and risk his own life. No, he would be smarter than that, but it also did not mean he could spend months planning the hit.

He would leave for Japan on the morrow and do his own surveillance. Everyone always left an opening. Even the most cautious people dropped their guard for a moment, a split second of time. He just had to spot and find his moment. No one was perfect and that included his employer. Timing was everything.

 ** _Japan…_**

Nekozawa had come out of his coma two days ago and Kyoya had done well to keep his questions to himself due to strict orders given to him by his brother; however, he could no longer keep silent. His intelligence suggested another assassin was on the way, and he needed information now!

Entering his senpai's room, he found two patients alone without anyone else in the room: Haruhi and Nekozawa. Were the gods finally smiling down on him giving him a chance to question them without interference? He wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, "Haruhi, Nekozawa-senpai, I have a few questions for you, and I need them answered without delay."


	19. History and Memories

**A/N: As promised, this chapter will be longer. Afon is on his way. Will something happen? Will the hosts and Nekozawa be okay? I'm doing something a little different with this chapter. The flashback will be in first person, and then it will switch back to third. I really wanted to make the flashback more personal, so we are trying something new. Let me know what you think. Thank you! Enjoy the new chapter!**

Chapter 19 – History and Memories

"Haruhi, Nekozawa-senpai, I have a few questions for you," Kyoya began as soon as he realized his two witnesses were alone.

"Questions?" Haruhi asked.

"About the kidnapping."

Her eyes darted down to the man lying in bed and then back to her bespectacled friend. She should have known that Kyoya would start interrogating them as soon as he could. "We'll answer what we can, senpai."

"Haruhi is correct. We may not know much, but we will tell you what we do know," Nekozawa added. He felt exhausted and his head was still a little foggy, however, he needed to help…wanted to help. Anything to keep Haruhi from any more danger. As long as she was safe, he would be satisfied.

Kyoya took a seat and opened his black notebook, his pen at the ready, "Nekozawa-senpai, please tell me what you know from the beginning. Even if the detail is minute, do not leave anything out."

With a small nod, Nekozawa gave Haruhi's hand a small squeeze and began, "My family has been getting an increasing number of threats from Russia, and they seemed to escalate right before my engagement failed and was nullified, which is another reason I had no qualms about releasing her from our agreement."

"Do you know where they originated from or why your family received them?" The Shadow King interrupted.

"No, not at all. My family has been both revered and shunned for our Black Magic practices. Of course, the same could be said about our past family connections."

"You are no doubt referencing your relationship to the Tokarev family?"

"Hai! But not only that. We are also distantly related to both the last imperial family and their…shall we say dark art's practitioner."

"Rasputin?"

"Hai."

Haruhi's expression showed her puzzlement, "I don't understand. I thought he was the mystic or whatever that advised the empress."

"Empress Consort and/or czarina, but pretty much the same thing. And you are correct, however, there is a lessor known story."

"Explain," Kyoya pressed.

"How much do you know about what happened during that time?" The cat worshiper asked.

With a perplexed expression, the Host Club's Vice President answered, "What is written in history books mainly. Then there is the rumor that Anastasia somehow survived the massacre."

"What if I told you, she did?"

"There is no evidence and there have been several false sightings."

"The real Grand Duchess would not want to show herself or be seen. You are a logical man. Think about it logically. She would not want to be found by certain people. Remember what happened to her family? There are always people looking for her, people who may want to kill her. So she kept her identity hidden." Nekozawa's eyes looked from Kyoya to Haruhi, and he could see their shock, could almost feel it himself.

Recovering, Kyoya stated, "It would make sense since she would never know who is actually a friend and who is a foe."

"Correct. But there is more to it. What is not known except by a small handful of people is that Alexandra, feeling that she was beholden to Rasputin, gave her daughter, Olga, over to him. Some say she was drugged or put under some sort of spell for her to do such a thing. Olga certainly did not want it, and yet, even she could not stop what happened and wound up getting pregnant."

Haruhi interrupted, "I thought he was already married."

"She was not given in marriage, but as a...bed partner. It is said he needed a virgin for one of his spells. Her mother handed over her first born. Before she died, she gave birth to a son. One of the solders felt sorry for the child and when he noticed the baby lived, as did Anastacia, he whisked them both away. No one said anything, and any witnesses to his crime were dealt with swiftly. You see the Tokarev family had their own soldiers there. The soldier who saved the two children was a Tokarev and the others were killed by his compatriots. Anastacia eventually married into the Tokarev family as did Olga's son."

"This isn't in the history books," her words were little more than a whisper.

The blond gave her hand another squeeze, "Of course not. To anyone else, everyone in the imperial family died and no one need know about an infant. Some say Rasputin's family has ties to the Tokarev family outside of the infant. I don't know for sure. Those are whispers spread in dark corners. Russia's government changed after the imperial family was murdered, and after the dictatorship had been established, after it became the U.S.S.R., the Tokarev family had their hand in politics. They even helped supply the Soviet Union with weapons. There are also rumors they helped to wipe out about 10 villages. To this day, the Tokarev's still have their puppets in the Russian government. The current Russian president would like very much to return to the old days, and the Tokarev family are playing both sides of the fence in order to make as much money as possible."

"So you are related to…"

"Actually, we are related to the imperial family through their cousins and extended family as well as the more direct connection. Both the Tokarev and the Imperial relations are somewhat distant though." He paused and furrowed his brow, "Although, my mother's sister married a Tokarev and her son is set to be the next head of the family."

Pushing up his glasses, Kyoya asked, "What about the kidnapping?"

"My bodyguard took us to a location on the river, and when Haruhi escaped, they moved me to that underground cell."

"Did they say anything?"

"They said that they would win. I overheard someone saying that they would make sure I was taken care of. An eye for an eye. I don't know why or what that would mean though."

Kyoya's focus turned to Haruhi, "Do you remember anything? Did they say anything?"

Shaking her head, her shoulders sagged, "No. They never took me out of our room. Only Umehito. When I got out, that was it. I didn't have a chance to hear anything."

He pulled out a couple of pictures from his black notebook and explained, "The men, predominantly the one in charge, have been linked to a terrorist organization in Russia. They claim they are rebels fighting the tyranny of their leaders. While they once may have started out as rebels, I can trace their dealings back to before WWII. What appears to have started as a rebel faction became organized and became the equivalent to a terrorist group or Mafia family. I'm still waiting on additional information, however, it appears your family is a target. I'm still trying to figure out why you specifically."

"I don't know. My father's family is heavily vested in politics, and he is an ambassador to Japan. My mother has her own political connections even without her relations to any prominent families in Russia."

The Shadow King had been hoping for more answers or some sort of epiphany, but nothing came. All he currently had was a cluster of strings that lead down multiple rabbit holes with no clear cut destination - and he hated not knowing.

"Kyoya?" Yuuichi called from the door. As he entered, he kept his voice pleasant and said, "I hope you aren't doing anything that would stress or harm my patients."

"Of course not, nii-san," the bespectacled man grinned, adjusting his glasses again. "Well, I do believe I have visited long enough. I will see both of you later."

When his little brother stood equal to him, the doctor whispered, "They have been through enough and need to rest."

"Of course they do," Kyoya responded and left the room. Frustration squeezed his chest. He had more information, but it didn't appear to aid his investigation at all! Could it be that someone was after the Nekozawa family for more than one reason? But what? Was he still at square one? He hoped not because it was only a matter of time before another assassin made their way to Japan to finish the job.

 **The next day, elsewhere…**

 ** _Flashback…_**

 _I'm starving, but there isn't enough food to feed us all, at least not enough to fill us up. The hunger pangs are ever present, and yet, I've learned to ignore them. I may only be eight, but age matters not. I'm here and that means I am just another mouth for my family to feed, another body for the manual labor in the fields. Not our fields. We own nothing._

 _Working every day is torturous. The soldiers stand around and watch us, take from the baskets we collected, and if even one basket is short, we're the ones punished, not them. We're cold, hungry, tired, and sore, but we cannot stop. I cannot stop because if I do, my family will suffer more. I have two older brothers, one older sister, and another younger sister. There were two more, however, they did not survive the last winter. Life in Russia is not easy._

 _My father says that life used to be better before, but I never understand what that means. Before what? Was there a time when we did not starve or worry about living through the next day? When soldiers did not traipse through our village and take without recourse or worry? When the soldiers didn't pick someone to beat, torment, or rape on a daily basis? When? When was this happier time?_

 _I hate the people in power. I hate what they do to us, how they torment us. They always seem to have food, and we search for scraps. This is the great U.S.S.R. that people talk about? What is so great about it? I'm told I should not speak like that because it will get me killed. Why? I don't understand why!_

 _And then it happened. Tanks drove through our village, knocking down our meager shacks, the places we call home. Rumors had been spread that we were housing rebels. If the rebels had been there, I would have joined them! But they weren't. The army didn't care. They didn't care about us or our lives._

 _The sounds of the tanks shooting scared me. I fell to the ground and covered my ears, crying loudly and uncontrollably. My older sister tried to calm me down, however, it did not work. Everything exploded around us and I screamed. I wasn't brave! I was terrified!_

 _And then our own shack shook around us. Or was that the ground? Everything fell off the walls, crashing to the ground. Gun fire could be heard around us. The sound of bullets being released from the multitude of guns. I thought there were millions of them. No one was to remain alive. I don't know why I knew that, but I did._

 _Bullets penetrated the walls to my home, creating little holes which allowed the sunlight to peek in. Creating a hole in my sister's throat as the stood up at the wrong moment. I stopped screaming. Too scared to utter a sound any longer the moment the blood spurted out of her neck and she fell to the floor. I was frozen. My brothers ran out of the house, not bothering to see if I had followed. My parents ran out of the house to see what the commotion was as soon as they heard the rumble of the tanks and the screams of some of our neighbors. They never came back._

 _I heard the gurgling screams of my siblings after they left me. They would not be returning either. I was alone._

 _My house continued to shake and the walls eventually fell around me, burying me alive. I did not think I would survive as darkness engulfed me, swallowing me whole._

 _Waking up, rubble surrounded me and I could not move. And when I heard the voices, I dared not breathe too loudly. They were laughing, mocking the people in the village, my village, calling them idiots and useless. "We were not useless!" I wanted to scream, but managed to keep the words locked behind my lips._

 _"_ _Tokarev should be happy, eh?" One solder sneered._

 _"_ _Da! I think he knew there weren't any rebels here. He just wanted us to test out the new merchandise. And it works very nice! Just one less village we have to monitor!"_

 _Tokarev? Who is that?_

 _"_ _With Tokarev…"_

 _"_ _SHHH! Not everyone knows they are supplying some of our weapons. The head is who picked this village."_

 _I tried to listen more, but I could not stay awake any longer and when I awoke next, orange dancing flames surrounded me. I had to get out. Get out! Get out!_

 ** _End flashback…_**

"Sir?" The stewardess gently shook the shoulder of her passenger in an attempt to wake him up.

Startled awake, Afon clutched his chest, his breathing erratic. Wild eyes searched for the person that had touched him and when he found the flight attendant standing next to him with a worried expression, he cleared his throat and asked, "Da? I mean, yes?"

"We've landed and the plane has cleared, sir."

"Oh! Do forgive me. I took something for my nerves before I boarded and it must have knocked me out," he laughed it off pretending to be a nervous flyer. After gathering his things, he walked off the plane. His dream clung to him, a ghost haunting him. How long had it been since he thought of that night? Years. This mission was starting to bring old memories to the surface. Memories that needed to stay buried like he buried his old self that day long ago.

First, he would check into his hotel and tonight he would begin his surveillance.


	20. A Sliver of Light

**A/N:** **I'm back…again. I'm not going to promise I won't disappear again because just when I think life had settled down, something happens. This year has been crazy between publishing my second book and personal things happening in my family and life that were unexpected. What I will promise, is that I won't leave stories unfinished.**

 **I've also put a poll on my profile page for this year's Christmas story. You pick the pairing. As crazy as things are right now, I didn't want to break tradition. I always look forward to giving you the annual holiday story. Go and vote. For those of you who do not have an account, you can still vote. I allow guest reviews on all of my stories. Put your vote in the review and I'll count it. You can vote through Dec 15. Mori currently sits in the leads.**

Chapter 20 - A Sliver of Light

Nekozawa watched Haruhi through half-lidded eyes. How had he missed her feminine features entirely? No, that wasn't exactly true. There had been times when he thought she looked almost too soft to be male, but he never pursued or entertained them. To do so would have been idiotic…back then. Then again, it would have riled Tamaki and that would have been fun to watch.

There had been times when he only did things because he knew it would freak the blond out, which gave him personal pleasure. To see Tamaki shriek and try to climb the walls, or to hide behind Haruhi or Kyoya. Now that he thought about it some more, Tamaki hid behind a girl. Not exactly good for one's manly pride. But then Tamaki had never been normal.

"What's so funny?" Haruhi asked him, breaking into his thoughts.

When had her voice become melodious to his ears? Had he never really listened before now? Opening his eyes wider, his heart skipped a beat. There was a sliver of sunlight streaming in through one of the windows directly behind her, which appeared to give her an otherworldly glow. Stunning. "What?" He had already forgotten the question.

"What's so funny? You snickered like the twins do sometimes."

"Please do not compare me to those heathens," he grumbled. The last thing he ever wanted to be is compared to the people she surrounds herself with. He wanted to stand on his own two feet, on his own pedestal around her. Well, maybe not to that extreme.

Lifting an eyebrow, she almost laughed…almost. "Okay, I won't, but you did…laugh under your breath. What are you thinking about?"

"Honestly?"

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't want to know the truth."

The twinkle in her eyes drew him in and he wondered what she was hiding, or what she found funny. No doubt it was his reaction to being compared to the twins. "I was thinking about how I didn't see you were a girl. And I might have been thinking about Tamaki hiding behind you or Kyoya, and about driving him up the wall."

"See that last part is just like the twins. I swear they live to torture him sometimes," she giggled.

"He makes it easy."

"He does indeed."

They both started to laugh. To Nekozawa, it felt good to laugh. Between the threats to his family, his arranged marriage, and everything with the kidnapping, his heart and body had felt weighted down. If anything had happened to Haruhi, he would have blamed himself; but she got away. She lived. And she was here with him.

Grabbing her hand, he told her, "Thank you."

Haruhi became serious and tilted her head, "For what?"

"Everything. For being here, for staying with me, for living."

Things had certainly turned very serious in the matter of seconds, and she wasn't sure she liked it. Normally, she flourished in that kind of environment, however, she liked the light atmosphere from before. So much had happened, and still danger lie ahead, that she wanted to cherish those smiles and laughs in those moments they didn't have the weight of the world on their shoulders…more so his shoulders.

Besides, she didn't want to be anywhere else than with him. So many things had changed since the day she and Nekozawa had been taken, and while not everything was clear, she knew her feelings. Some would say that her feelings were nothing more than a byproduct of her situation, but those people didn't know everything. They didn't know what had been in her heart before and after. If they did, they would know that this was not some imaginary emotion.

Squeezing his hand, she smiled, "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. Some of her bruises were starting to fade and some of her scratches were healing, but it didn't release his guilt. If she had not been with him, she wouldn't have any injuries…but then she also wouldn't be with him right now.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Haruhi questioned.

"Nothing."

"Don't give me that. What's wrong?"

"You shouldn't have been put in danger."

She dropped his hand and grabbed his face with both hands, tilting it so that he would look at her. "This was not your fault. None of it. The fault lies with the lunatics who took us. Not you. Never you. And everything that happened to me, they are things that will heal. Period. So what if I have another scar? I don't care. I have some from when I was a kid. I don't blame you and you shouldn't either. Period."

Chuckling, he said, "Did anyone ever tell you that you would make an excellent general?"

"She would if it wasn't for the fact she constantly finds herself in trouble…or goes looking for trouble," Kyoya said from the door. He had left them alone earlier, but there was something that was bothering him.

"Kyoya-senpai, what are you doing here?" Haruhi asked as she released Nekozawa.

"I had additional questions, but if you aren't up for it."

"We are."

"Actually, Haruhi, this is for Nekozawa-senpai."

"If it will help keep Haruhi safe, then please ask," Nekozawa stated.

Kyoya made a mental note. It appeared that things were progressing between the patients. "You stated that your aunt's son was set to become the next head of the family."

"Yes, while we were distantly related to them, my aunt married a man higher up on the food chain through an arranged marriage. To strengthen the family connection."

"And would any of them want you out of the way?"

Frowning, Nekozawa shook his head, "No. My cousin and I have never been close, but he wouldn't want to wish me harm."

"What is his name?" Kyoya had his pen poised at the ready. Regardless of what Nekozawa believed or didn't believe, there was a connection somewhere. Even if it seemed impossible, he would investigate each and every one of them.

"Arseny Tokarev."

"Do you know if he or his family has received any of the same threats?"

"I…I…" Nekozawa's voice tapered off.

"What's wrong, Umehito?" Haruhi asked.

He grabbed her hand once again and answered, "I don't know if they have or not. Nothing has been said about them receiving anything, and as far as I know, it has only been my family." Why had he not thought to ask before? Why did he assume everyone in the family had received the threats?

"I will look into it and let you know what I find," Kyoya snapped his black book shut. "Now, try to get some rest."

Walking out of the room, Kyoya felt determined and purposeful. This was the breakthrough he had been searching for. If his sources were accurate—and he had no reason to believe they weren't—then Nekozawa's cousin wasn't as innocent as others thought.

 ** _Elsewhere…_**

"I've landed and will begin surveillance tonight," Afon spoke into the phone.

"Do not fail like the others. We need to deliver," a gravelly voice on the other end sneered.

"Da! I got it. I will not fail." He hung up the phone and threw it across the room where it shattered. It mattered not since it was a burner phone and would never be used again. Use once and throw away. It was the best way to keep everyone off of your trail.

He would not fail. He would do the job and give the ghosts from his past some peace. They all needed to die.


End file.
